The Panama Canal review - Govinfo.gov

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Gift ofthe Panama CanalMuseum

Vol.2, No. 3 BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, NOVEMBER 2, 1951 5 cents

FLUORIDATION OF CANAL ZONE WATER TO BEGIN

SOON AFTER THE FIRST OF THE COMING YEAR

Canal Officials Attend ArmyDisaster Control Exercise

OBSERVERS AND ADVISERS at the engineering table for the recent Army exercise were three

Panama Canal Division Chiefs. Frank Lerchen, Municipal Engineer, center, facing the camera, is look-

ing over the situation map. Facing him is Harry Metzler of the Building Division, while J. B. Smith, of

the Electrical Division, has his back to the camera, far right.

Bureau and Division Chiefs of the Pan-

ama Canal Company and Canal Zone

Government whose organizations would

go into action in case of a local disaster

sat in as observers last month on a unified

service exercise, illustrating disaster con-

trol procedure to be followed in the event

of an atomic attack on the Canal Zone.

The exercise was the second of a series

and the first in which a number of Canal

officials have participated.

Purpose in having the Panama Canal

officials on hand for the exercise, in which

an atomic attack on Pedro Miguel Locks

was simulated, was as observers and ad-

visers. In the latter capacity, according

to Lt. Col. John P. Mial, Director of the

Army Disaster Control Center, they could

advise the military staff officers on capa-

bilities of the Panama Canal organization

and coordinate matters so that the needs

of both military and Panama Canal popu-

lations could be met in case of a disaster.

The problem was designed to test re-

sources for handling traffic in the Canal,

the provision of police and fire protection,

treatment of casualties, availability of

water and electrical supply and commun-ications facilities, and the housing, feed-

ing, and care of refugees from such a

disaster.

Colonel Mial explained that it is ex-

pected that a third and last drill, which

will be a full-scale exercise, will test the

use of relief teams and equipment on a

large scale.

Attending the military exercise as ob-

servers and advisers were representatives

of the Governor's office, Marine, Civil

Affairs, Supply and Service, and Health

Bureaus; the Municipal, Electrical, Locks

Police, Fire, Clubhouses, and Housing

Divisions; and the Safety Branch.

The observers sat in on the exercise at

Disaster Control Headquarters at Fort

Amador where a critique on the CPX(Command Post Exercise) was held a

week later.

FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE• Interested in housing? Some of the newtypes of quarters to be built here are illus-trated and described on page 2.

• Fall days and football go together. TheZone's three school football squads arepictuied on page 13.

• A trip through the Canal with a pilot is

the waterfront feature in the series on menwho put ships through the interoceanicwaterway, on page 10.

Supply Will Serve

Zone, Panama, Colon

The use of fluoride in Canal Zone water

as a partial control for dental decay will

begin early in the coming calendar year.

A year's supply of fluoride has been

ordered and its use in water at the Mira-

flores and Mount Hope filtration plants

will begin shortly after the arrival of the

necessary chemicals, probably by mid-

January.

The cost of the fluoridation will be

approximately $12,000 per year, or one

mill per thousand gallons of water.

Water so treated will serve the entire

population of the Canal Zone, plus that

of Colon and Panama City and its sub-

urbs as far as Juan Diaz.

Approval of the use of fluoride in the

local water supply concluded months of

experiment by E. W. Zelnick, Chief of

the Municipal Division's Water and Lab-

oratories Branch, and by members of his

staff as to what chemicals would be best

suited for Isthmian use and the develop-

ment of the most suitable method of add-

ing the chemicals to the water.

Of the $5,000 authorized to conduct the

experiments to determine the particular

type of chemical to be used, the methodof applying it and the point of applica-

tion, sufficient funds are left to cover the

cost of manufacturing locally and install-

ing the small amount of equipment re-

quired for the fluoridation.

The method to be used calls for the use

of sodium silicofluoride and is less costly

than methods using another, related,

chemical sodium fluoride.

The sodium silicofluoride is to be added

to the water at a rate sufficient to obtain

a residual fluoride content of 0.7 parts per

million.

Last January, the Water and Labora-

tories Branch was authorized to perform

experimental work to determine the most

economical fluoride compound which

could be used and the most suitable point

of application of the fluoride to the water

at Miraflores and Mount Hope filtration

plants.

In other locations where the water sup-

ply has been fluoridated, the chemical is

almost always added to the filtered water

by specially set up feeders.

The Canal Zone chemists experimented

with both the sodium fluoride and sodium

silicofluoride, the latter being found to be

about half the cost of the former.

They developed a small device to

"dump" the selected chemical into exist-

ing solution tanks. This (Seepage!)

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW November 2, 1951

New Housing — A REVIEW PreviewTen new housing designs for U. S.-rate

quarters have been approved and are nowbeing developed by the Engineering Divi-

sion for construction in new and replace-

ment housing areas. Included in the ten

designs are revisions and improvements

to three of the more popular types re-

cently built in Diablo.

On the other end of the living space is

the service wing, which consists of kitchen

maid's toilet, storage space, a clothes dry-

ing area, and a car-port. The plan for this

type is illustrated below. This general

scheme is also adapted to three-bedroom

single apartments and two-bedroom two-

family nouses.

WITH THE addition of new designs to the Housing Project, employees will have the choice of eleven

masonry and six composite off-the-ground types. Above is one of the smaller 3-bedroom houses with several

new features. The lower plan is another new type, providing outdoor living space on a covered terrace.

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Seven new types, covering a range of

two-, three-, and four-bedroom houses

and including single- and double-apart-

ment units, are now in the working draw-

ing stage.

One of the new two-bedroom houses has

a covered terrace or open porch which

runs parallel with the living dining room.

The terrace or porch is practically an out-

door extension of the living space.

This area is also easily available to the

kitchen, which adjoins it on one end,

allowing service directly to the terrace

area. Two bedrooms and the bath open

from the living space on one end.

Another new type of two-bedroom

house has a covered terrace or porch,

opening from the long end of the living

room. This terrace or porch extends the

living space into an adjoining, sheltered

outdoor space. The kitchen in this plan

allows space for breakfast dining. A cov-

ered car-port, a service area, maid's toilet,

and storage room make up the exterior

covered service area.

One of the two new types of three-bed-

room single apartments has the entrance

so arranged to provide access to the living

room, kitchen and bedroom wing from

the entrance hallway. There is also a

large covered porch opening from the

living room area, covered service space,

and a collapsible partition between two

small bedrooms which may be opened to

permit this space to be used as one extra-

large bedroom. The plan and elevation of

this house is illustrated to the left, above.

Another three-bedroom house has the

living and dining space combined for

thorough circulation of air. In this house,

however, the dining space is in an alcove

at one side. The bedroom wing has two

small and one large bedrooms and two

baths. The kitchen can be reached from

the car-port. The car-port and the cov-

ered service area are somewhat larger

than in earlier types.

Quarters in the four-bedroom group are

a modification of the three-bedroom

"breezeway" houses recently built in

Diablo.

Some innovations, such as the use of

natural-finished native woods, for exposed

ceilings in living rooms and other suitable

spaces, and the possible use of some cer-

amic materials are proposed.

Canal Zone housing, the designers point

out, is too often thought of only in terms

of arrangement, size, and appearance of

rooms.

These are, of course, the ultimate object

of the designs, but costs cannot be ignored

especially since in any housing project

these costs are reflected eventually in

rents paid by the individual occupying

the quarters.

In some of the new houses, the design-

ers have reduced the area to keep rentals

within the financial limits of the average

Canal Zone employee.

Several of the newly approved quarters

have been reduced in size for this reason.

This is particularly true of some of the

three-bedroom types and special thought

has been given to providing some "min-

imum-standard" houses to fit the needs

of the younger employees living on a re-

stricted budget with younger, growing

families.

FLUORIDATION OF C. Z. WATER

Continued from page 1) device consists

of a drum holder, mounted on a horizontal

rotating axis inside a small, dust-proof

cabinet, equipped with sprays to wash all

material adhering to the container and

the inside of the cabinet into the main

solution tank.

The proposal to add fluoride to the

local water supply has been recommended

by medical authorities and dental organi-

zations in both the Canal Zone and Pan-

ama, and has received the endorsement

of the Government of Panama.

A continually increasing number of

cities in the United States have fluori-

dated their water supplies—the number

last January was estimated at 65—andthe process has been recommended by

leading national, state, and municipal

dental and health associations.

The immediate objective of the fluori-

dation is the partial control of dental

decay, especially in children who receive

the "greatest benefits of fluoridation in

their early years. This benefit is believed

to continue for life once it is received in

early childhood.

The fluoridation does not affect the

taste, odor, color, or clearness of the

water supply.

November 2, 1951 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Office Management

Course At College

Draws 39 Isthmians

Twenty-three employees of the PanamaCanal Company are being trained in

office management in a 17-week course

which is being given at the Canal Zone

Junior College. The Canal employees are

a majority of the 39 students who enrolled

for the 34-hour course.

Statistics compiled by Richard R. Saul,

of the Accounting Policies Division, Office

of the Comptroller for the U. S. ArmyCaribbean, instructor for the course, showthat the Canal Company enrollees predom-

inate in the middle-age bracket of the stu-

dents taking the office management course.

The main objective of the course is to

give an over-all view of the entire field

of office management, with the idea that

those taking the course will develop

enough interest in their own special fields

to continue in further specialization.

Mr. Saul is conducting the course in

the forum-seminar type of teaching, to

bring forward as much class discussion as

possible.

He plans to use such visual aids as flow

and distribution charts and task analyses

and will bring in outside speakers whenit is possible.

During the 17 weeks the course is in

progress the students will cover such sub-

jects as: forms and form designs, worksimplification, organization, administra-

tion and management, office layouts, busi-

ness machines, and work measurements

and supervision.

Meets Twice Weekly

The class is meeting twice weekly,

Monday and Thursday evenings, at the

Junior College building in Balboa.

Ten of the Canal Company's employee-

students are between 30 and 40 years of

age, 12 are in the 40-50 year age bracket,

and the other is over 50.

Daytimes they work in the Health,

Personnel, or Finance Bureaus, the Store-

houses, Terminals, Electrical, Locks, or

Housing Divisions, the Records or the

License Sections.

Taking the class as a whole, 10 of the

students are women. Seven of the 39 are

from the Air Force, one from the Navy,three from the Army, one working in pri-

vate business in Cristobal, two employed

by private concerns in Panama City, one

employed by the Panama Government,

the 23 Panama Canal Company employees,

and one who is not presently working.

Two of the Panamanian and two of the

Air Force students as well as the unem-ployed student are under 20 years old.

Three Air Force students, the Navy stu-

dent, one of the Army pupils, and one of

the private business employees are be-

tween 20 and 30. Ten of the PanamaCanal Company, two of the Air Force

personnel, and one Panamanian are be-

tween 30 and 40; the other two Air Force

personnel and 12 of the remaining 13 Pan-

ama Canal Company employees are in

the next generation, and the last PanamaCanal Company employee is over 50.

Gatun Lake has an area of 163.38

square miles, with a shore line of 1,100

miles when the surface is at its normalelevation of 85 feet above sea level.

Pay Raises, Income Tax, HousesDiscussed At Employees Conference

No consideration is being given to

closing the Gamboa shops, GovernorF. K. Newcomer told the Governor-Employee Conference August 26. TheGovernor's statement came as an answerto a question raised by Walter Wagner of

the Central Labor Union-Metal TradesCouncil.

The conference, which lasted beyondthe usual adjournment time, took up sub-

jects which ranged from housing assign-

ments, the date on which employeeswould receive the pay increases recently

authorized by Congress, dispensaries,

fading license plates, post offices, com-missary prices, and the overall subject of

organization.

The first question, raised by RufusLovelady of the A. F. G. E., concerned

the date on which classified employeescould expect to receive the pay increases

voted by Congress last month. F. G.

Dunsmoor, Executive Assistant for the

Governor, told the conference that it is

hoped that the pay increases can be re-

flected in the period which began October

28 and for which payment is due on

November 20. Retroactive payments will

follow soon after.

Payment of the retroactive pay, how-ever, Mr. Dunsmoor said, presents addi-

tional difficulties, in that each employee's

back pay must be computed individually.

This is especially complicated for those

employees such as nurses and customs

inspectors who have performed night

work during the nine pay periods covered

by the retroactive clause of the pay legis-

lation. He added that this computation

could be simplified by computing ma-chines which, however, are held up in NewYork by the shipping strike.

As far as income tax on the retroactive

pay is concerned, with the tax increase to

be made effective November 1, Mr. Duns-moor said that income tax personnel here

have as yet received no instructions. If

the procedure to be followed is the sameas that of last year when a tax increase

was made effective toward the end of the

year, the tax for the entire year will be

fixed by a computation (See page 18)

A President Visits The Zone

FORTY-FIVE YEARS ago this month, a President of the United States took the unprecedentedstep of leaving the country. The visit was to the Canal Zone. Rain drenched the presidential partyfor three days but President Theodore Roosevelt covered the Canal Zone from end to end, stopping at

every town "along the line" and at every major project to see how things were going.

"It is without precedent for a President

to leave the United States, but this is a

work without precedent, "President Theo-

dore Roosevelt told the men who werebuilding the Panama Canal 45 years ago

this month.

"You are doing the biggest thing of this

kind that has ever been done."

Plans for the President's visit in No-vember 1906 began as early as June of

that year, as soon as it was definite that

the visit would be made. All during the

summer, Isthmian Canal officials con-

ferred among themselves and with repre-

sentatives of the new Republic of Pan-ama, and, by mid-September, had a ten-

tative schedule mapped out.

A major problem was a place of lodging

for the Presidential party. The Tivoli

Hotel was under construction, with its

completion date well beyond the week in

November when the President was ex-

pected. Finally it was determined that

at least one wing "could be furnished andotherwise fitted up in such a manner to

afford appropriate and adequate facilities

for the party's comfort and welfare," andthe alternate offer of an official house for

the Roosevelt party was declined.

On November 15 President Roosevelt

came ashore in the Canal Zone in a steady

rain which, for the next (See page 18)


Travellers Return From South Seas

I

SOUTH SEA islanders have nothing on this Zone trio. Just back from the Marquesas and Society

Islands are Lee Rigby, 14, Richard Harris of the Communications Branch, and Lee's father, Edwin Rigby

of the Storehouses Division. Lee is wearing the grass skirt and what goes with it; Mr. Harris has on shell

beads and a South Sea "Panama," and Mr. Rigby sports his first mate's cap. The material they are holding

is a sarong in its natural form.

"Sure, I'd like to go back to Tahiti,"

14-year-old Lee Rigby of Amador Road

in Balboa told The Panama Canal Re-

view. "It's cool there."

With his father, Edwin, of the Division

of Storehouses, Richard Harris of the

Electrical Division's Communications

Branch, and John McDaniel of the Canal

Zone police force, Lee sailed from Balboa

May 21 on the 72-foot ketch Palmosa.

Lee was signed on, according to the

yacht's papers, as a "cabin buoy," his

father as first mate (he did the cooking,

too) while the other two were able sea-

men. Later, after Lee had climbed 40

feet into the rigging to rescue a halyard

which was about to be carried away in a

squall, he was promoted to able seaman.

Except for the first part of the trip in

the Bay of Panama the weather was good

all the way to the Marquesas Islands,

which they reached July 13. The early

part of the voyage, however, was unpleas-

ant enough to make up for the later per-

fect weather. The yacht was beset by

rain squalls and storms for the entire first

week out, and the Palmosa did not sight

the Galapagos Islands until 27 days after

it cleared Balboa.

The Palmosa did not stop at the Gala-

pagos but swung west toward the Mar-quesas, crossing the Equator three times

en route as she tacked back and forth.

Whales were fairly frequent sights along

the trip, one of them coming within 40

feet of the yacht and giving rise to someapprehension that it might overturn the

comparatively small craft. The yachts-

men had several meals of dolphin which

Lee snagged by catching them in the side

with a hook tossed oxer the Palmosa s rail.

The yachtsmen reached Nukuhiva,

capital of the Marquesas, on July 13.

eight weeks after they had left Balboa,

The island was making final preparations

for the celebration of Bastille Day the fol-

lowing day. For the celebration, the

Palmosa group were the guests of the

island's Administrator.

After six days in the Marquesas, the

Pahnosa moved on to Papeete, the capi-

tal of the Society Islands. Arriving there

July 27, the yachting party found that

the July 14 Bastille Day celebration was

still going on.

Mr. McDaniel continued on with the

Palmosa, which is owned and skippered

by Captain Henry V. Hudson, a retired

British Naval officer, but the other three

waited in Papeete for the French Line's

Sagittaire for their homeward passage.

They loaded up with grass skirts,

parens (the same things Dorothy La-

C. Z. Hobby Groups Urged to

'Register' with New Employees

Hobby groups and similar organiza-

tions in the Canal Zone have been urged

to provide information concerning them-

selves for distribution among newly-

arrived U. S.-rate employees, in order

that the new arrivals may associate them-

selves easily with Isthmians of longer

standing who are interested in pastimes

similar to their own.

The information is to be included in a

"List of Organizations"—churches, fra-

ternal groups, social organizations, and

the like—to be issued to each new U. S.-

rate employee at the time of employment

processing in the Personnel Bureau.

Officers of all such employee groups are

invited to provide their organizations'

proper names, addresses, and telephone

numbers for the list by telephoning Em-ployee Relations, 2-1525, during business

hours.

It is hoped that all phases of organized

hobby and pastime activity represented

in the Canal Zone will be represented by

the time the list goes to the printer.

A few such organizations are: The C. Z.

Natural History Society, Orchid Society,

and the stamps and photo groups.

mour wears as sarongs), beads, hats of

palm leaves, grass mats, and other South

Pacific curios.

Mr. Rigby, who had drawn the mid-

watch on the Palmosa was tired out and

thin when the yacht reached the Society

Islands, but after several days rest he

began to regain his lost weight and more.

Yachting, the Zonians agree, is the way

to spend a vacation. Like Lee, they are

all ready to go again, somewhere.

Young Zonian Gets Ham License

THREE OF A KIND: When Carol Louise Combs, 13, was awarded her "ham" radio license on

i Ictober 1-'. she liecame the third licensed operator in her family. Her parents, Mr. and Mr3. Prentiss

Combs of Balboa, shown here iwith Carol in their radio "shack," have been licensed since 1949. Carol

is the youngest "ham" on the Isthmus.

< letting a license to operate a "ham"radio is not an easy task for a grown-up

and it's understandably harder for a

young lady who is just getting into her

'teens. But 13-year-old Carol Louise

Combs of Calabash Street in Balboa madethe grade and is now the youngest opera-

tor in the Canal Zone. She is also the

third member of her family to chalk up

a "first."

Her mother, Angela, became the first

woman "ham" on the Canal Zone whenshe received her license in July 1949, just

a month after Carol's father, Prentiss C.

Combs, was awarded his license. The twolicenses made the Combs (See page it)

November 2,1951 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

FOR YOURA

INTEREST ANDUMZ

GUIDANCEUL !£

CCIDENT PREVENTIONj

The Panama Canal Company-Canal Zone

Government experienced a frequency rate of

14 for the month of September as a result

of 40 disabling injuries and a man-hour

exposure of .'.821.01.5.

The Civil Affairs Bureat will receive

Honor Roll Award certificates for Best Rec-

ord for the month of September by virtue

of a Freouency Rate of Zero. Congratula-

tions to a four-time winner of this Awardthis year.

The following Divisions will receive

Honor Roll Award certificates for No Dis-

abling Injuries for the month of September:

Building, Municipal, Grounds Maintenance,

and a newcomer to the Honor Roll Fratern-

ity, the Commissary Division.

HONOR ROLLBureau Award For

BEST RECORDSeptember

CIVIL AFFAIRS

AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Civil Affairs 4

J ndustrial 3

Engineering and Construction 2

Health 1

Community Services 1

Supply and Service

Marine

Railroad and Terminals

Division Award For

NO DISABLING INJURIES

September

BUILDING DIVISION

MUNICIPAL DIVISION

COMMISSARY DIVISION

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE DIVISION

AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEARMotor Transportation 5

Electric al 4

Municipal 4

Grounds Maintenance 4

Railroad 3

Dredging 3

Sanitation 3

Storehouses _ 3

Locks 2

Clubhouses 2

Building 2

Commissary 1

Hospitalization and Clinics 1

Terminals

Navigation

We take this means to welcome two new

members to the Panama Canal Company-

Canal Zone Government Safety Board;

they are: Lt. Comdr. W. M. Vincent,

USN, representing the Industrial Director,

and Charles A. Dubbs, representing the

Personnel Director.

L. W. Chambers has been appointed to

the position of Acting Safety Inspector,

Locks Division, made vacant by the resig-

nation of Jack F. Paterson.

Max R. Hart has been appointed to the

position of Safety Inspector, Motor Trans-

portation Division and Division of Store-

houses, made vacant by the resignation of

E. F. Ryan.

UNLABELED POISONLURKS IN HOMESAS CHILD DANGER

Paint thinners and removers—most

are harmful if swallowed, including linseed

oil, tung oil, turpentine, banana oil, acetone,

alcohol, benzine, and others.

Extracts and flavorings—the strong al-

coholic solutions make these dangerous,

although oil of wintergreen and oil of pep-

permint are basically poisonous.

Antiseptics and disinfectants—these

include tincture of iodine, cresol prepara-

tions (usually sold under a trade name),

phenol or carbolic acid, bichloride of mer-

cury, ammonia ted mercury, potassium per-

manganate, hydrogen peroxide, etc.

Laxatives and cough syrups—not all

are harmful, but to be safe they should never

be left within the reach of children.

Alcohols — beverages, rubbing com-

pounds, and special substances such as

adhesive tape removers are dangerous.

The skull-and-crossbones on the iodine

bottle has become a familiar symbol of

danger in most households, but there are

many unlabeled poison killers in every home

that are commonly thought to be harmless.

A few of these common household sub-

stances which have claimed many lives,

principally among children because they are

not always repelled by an objectionable

taste or odor, are as follows:

Kerosene—one of the commonest causes

of poison deaths among children.

Sleeping tablets—usually contain a de-

rivative of barbituric acid, and in sufficient

Quantity can be fatal.

Rat, bug, and fungus poisons—such

poisons usually contain highly dangerous

chemicals.

CLEANERS CALLED RISKCaustic cleaners—ammonia, lye, wash-

ing soda, and trisodium phosphate cause

dangerous membrane burns when taken in-

ternally.

American workers were saler in 1950, the

National Safety Council reports.

Industrial injury tates for last year, re-

leased by the Council in advance of the 1951

edition of its statistical yearbook, Accident

Facts, show a substantial reduction in both

the frequency and severity of 1950 accidents

as compared with 1949.

Twenty-nine of the 40 basic industry

classifications reduced their frequency rates,

and 23 reduced severity rates.

RATE DOWN 8 PERCENT

The accident frequency rate for employees

in all industries submitting company reports

to the Council, based on the number of dis-

abling injuries per 1,000,000 man-hours, was

9.3 in 1950—a redtiction of 8 percent from

the year before.

The accident severity rate for all indus-

tries reporting to the Council, based on the

number of days lost per 1,000 man-hours,

was .94 last year—also a reduction of 8 per-

cent from 1949.

SEPTEMBER 1951

Civil Affairs Bureau

Community Services Bureau

Supply and Service Bureau

Engineering and Construction Bureau

Panama Canal Co. C. Z. Gov't This month)

Panama Canal Co. C. Z. Gov't (1951 to Dale)

Panama Canal Co. C. Z. Gov't (Best Year)

Health Bureau

Marine Bureau

Industrial Bureau

Railroad and Terminals Bureau

Disabling Injuries per 1,000,000 Man-Hours Worked

(Frequency Rate)

4

5

5

It

it;

17

18

19

20

33

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10 20 30 40 50 60 703

Number of Disabling Injuries 40 Man-Hours Worked 2,821,913

LEGEND

' ' Amount Better Than Panama Canal Company—Canal Zone Government Best Year

==EI Amount Worse Than Panama Canal Company—Canal Zone Government Best Year


THE PERMANENT collection of the Canal Zone Museum has recently

been increased by the addition of the model, above, of old Ancon Hospital.

Its origin has been lost with the years, but long-time employees of Gorgas

Canal Zone Museum

—A Progress Report

The Canal Zone Museum, now in its

second year and growing fast, occupies

the first-floor lobby of the Civil Affairs

Building and overflows into the rotunda

overlooking the Air Field. The original

collection, the property of The PanamaCanal for many years, was transferred

from the Administration Building late in

1950. It included beautiful scale models

of Canal construction equipment—sea-going dredges, a locomotive and tender,

a track shifter and flatcars; many relics

from the French Company; and several

items, including a ruler and level which

were the property of G. M. Totten, Chief

Engineer of the Panama Railroad Com-pany in 1855. These articles plus the 24-

foot foam rubber relief map of the Canal,

which was prepared under the direction

of the Special Engineering Division,

formed the nucleus of the collection.

Late in 1950 several cases of stuffed

local animals and birds were moved from

the La Boca Occupational High School,

where they had been stored for manyyears, for addition to the Museum. After

careful selection, treating, and rearrang-

ing, the best preserved specimens were

placed in glass exhibit cases in the Civil

Affairs Building lobby. Both Dr. James

Zetek and Dr. Graham Bell Fairchild,

well-known scientists on the Isthmus, as

well as several other enthusiasts, visited

the collection and helped the Library

Staff in its choice of scientific and local

names for the animals.

Many Donations From Patrons

Soon gifts from interested patrons aug-

mented the collection. As rapidly as

suitable exhibit cases could be prepared

for them, or suitable table stands be

made, these were added to the displays.

These gifts included a collection of arti-

facts and ceramics from the Venado Beach

area; an American flag used during Con-

struction days; native water jars and filt-

ers; a Belgian percussion double-barreled

pistol manufactured about 1850 and

found in a cave at Fort San Lorenzo; a

collection of shells, fossils, and minerals

of this area; a scale model of Ancon Hos-

pital; a relief map of the Canal Zone as

it appeared in 1906; another of the Gatun

Hospital recall that the model was displayed for many years in the hospital's

library, until the library became crowded and the model was removed to makewav for technical books. The model was reconditioned by students in La Boca.

Lake watershed; a collection from the

San Bias Islands; relics from the renova-

tion of the White House, Washington;

cannon balls found near Las Cruces ceme-

tery; and three rifles used in Panama'sRevolution for Independence.

Patron-donors include: The PanamaCanal Society of Florida; the Commission

on Renovation of the Executive Mansion,

The White House, Washington; the Pan-

ama Society for Advancement of Archae-

ology and Natural Sciences; Maj. Gen.

George W. Rice, Health Director; Philip

L. Dade; Fritz Marti; B. T. Carr; Miss

Dora Ponevacs; James L. Price; Mrs.

Donald T. Baker; John Gough, and others.

Items still under repair, or awaiting

completion of suitable display cases, in-

clude a large stone metate presented to

the Museum by Ernst Erbe on his retire-

ment; a relief map of Venezuela presented

to the Library-Museum by the Inter-

American Geodetic Survey; a collection

of articles from the Darien, including a

nine-foot blow gun, an indefinite loan

from James L. Price; and a Balboa Base-

ball League loving cup presented to A. C.

Garlington, pitcher, 1917-18, sent to

the Museum by Mr. Garlington's co-

workers in the Electrical Division.

These items, which for the most part

are awaiting the conversion of one of the

large lobby benches into an exhibit case,

will be placed on display within the next

few weeks. Under present plans, three of

these massive benches will be made into

cases. The sides as well as the bases,

which house outlets for the air condition-

ing system, are of wood, while locked

sliding glass doors will protect museumarticles from dust and careless handling.

Temporary Exhibits Give Variety

One lighted exhibit case and two glass-

doored mahogany shelves are used by the

Library staff for constantly changing ex-

hibits. They house temporarily materials

from the Library's Panama Collection, as

well as other rare books and maps, andare planned for highlighting the manyloans which the Library receives from in-

terested patrons, who do not wish for

personal reasons to present their treasures

to the Museum permanently but are

eager to share them for a time. The mostrecent displays have been a group of

photographs of early hospital days lent

by Mrs. V. F. Jacobs and the current

display which includes a pass from Mr.

and Mrs. George Lowe from General

Goethals "on S. S. Advance to test the

Canal," on August 9, 1914, as well as

early Canal employee's metal check iden-

tifications, Society of the Chagres memen-tos, and a Roosevelt Medal, sent to the

Museum by Jack E. Pearson of Gatun.

The glass-doored display shelves in the

left wing of the lobby now are showing a

group of reproductions from famous art-

ists which were given to the Library

recently by Christopher C. Bennett.

Work For The Future

There is still much work to be done.

The brief descriptive notes included with

each article in the permanent MuseumCollection are to be expanded eventually

to include a short history of each Con-

struction item, and its significance in the

long job of building the Canal. This

work, which must be done by the Li-

brary's research specialists, is necessarily

long and must be worked in with other

duties. A large plaster-of-paris relief mapshowing the plan of the projected Canal,

made in 1909, which had been gathering

dust in the old License Bureau Building

on the Prado, has now been washed clean,

but must be mended with plaster and re-

painted with oil paint in the newly-

mended spots. This work will be done

by the members of the Library Staff on

week ends, when they may put on old

clothes and be repairmen for a while.

Among the many who have visited the

young museum during the past year are

groups of students from the Canal Zone

schools and from the neighboring Repub-

lic of Panama, visitors, new employees

who find that the large relief map assists

them in their early orientation, and hun-

dreds of Zonians who long have showninterest in the history of the Isthmus. As

a supplementary service the Library has

prepared for free distribution a mimeo-

graphed annotated list of about 25 selec-

ted titles from the Library's PanamaCollection which best cover the history

of the Canal and of the Isthmus. This is

available at the Library's Circulation

Desk in the second-floor reading room.

The Canal Zone Museum, together

with the Library, a function of the Civil

Affairs Bureau, is under the direction of

the Canal Zone Librarian, who is avail-

able at any time during working hours

for consultation concerning possible gifts

to the Museum.


Official

Panama Canal Company Publication

Published Monthly at

BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE

Printed by the Panama Canal Pres$

Mount Hope, Canal Zone

F. K. NEWCOMERGovernor

HERBERT D. VOGELLieutenant Governor

E. C. LOMBARDExecutive Secretary

J. RUFUS HARDYEditor

LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters containing inquiries, sugges-

tions, criticisms or opinions of a generalnature will be accepted. In all casespossible, letters to The Review will beanswered individually. Those of suffi-

cient general interest will be publishedin this paper. Letters must be authen-tic and be signed although signatureswill not be published unless requestedand names of authors will be kept con-fidential. Return address should begiven but The Review will not under-take to return correspondence of anynature.

SUBSCRIPTIONSYearly subscriptions to The

Panama Canal Review to any

address in the Postal Union:

$1.00

Postal money orders should be

made payable to the Treasurer, Pan-

ama Canal Company, and mailed

to the Editor, The Panama CanalReview, Balboa Heights, C. Z.

SINGLE COPIESThe Panama Canal Review is on

sale at all Panama Canal CompanyClubhouses, Commissaries, and

Hotels for ten days after publication

date for:

5 Cents a CopySingle copies after the close of

general sales and individual copies

by mail

:

10 Cents Each

Back copies of The Review, when

available, may be bought from the

Vault Clerk, Third Floor, Adminis-

tration Building, Balboa Heights,

Canal Zone. No copies of the first

issue are available for sale.

SPECIAL BINDERSfor the

PANAMA CANAL REVIEWare available at the larger

Commissaries and Clubhouses

for

50 cts. EACHSpecially made binders of genuine

leather mav be ordered direct fromthe Panama Canal Press for $7.00

each, and imitation leather bindersmay be ordered direct from the Pressfor $2.50. Both of the special kindsof binders come with your nameimprinted in gold leaf.

NEW EMPLOYEES, and older ones, too, are all benefiting from a new manual ofjjnformation,

Living and Working in the Canal Zone, which has been prepared by the Personnel Bureau in coopera-

tion with other offices of the Panama Canal Company and Canal Zone Government. Edward A. Doolan,

Personnel Director, and Charles A. Dubbs, Training Officer, look over one of the second printing, in the

hands of E. C. Cotton of the Panama Canal Press where the booklet was published.

Sailing schedules of the three Pan-ama Line ships were upset by theunauthorized longshoreman's strike

which tied up New York harbor late

last month.The SS "Panama" was delayed five

days in her sailing from New York,finally leaving on October 22 with 70

passengers and practically no cargoaboard. The advance passenger list

indicated that 113 persons were to havesailed.

Northbound sailingof the SS"Ancon"was also delayed, this ship leaving Cris-

tobal northbound on October 21, twodays late. At the time of sailing, herdestination was indefinite, with plansmade to put her into Philadelphia,Norfolk or Baltimore if the strike wasstill in effect in New York. But withthe spread southward of the strike, this

plan was abandoned and the ship putinto Charleston, S.C., to discharge pas-

sengers, mail, and bananas.

The SS "Cristobal" meanwhile, washeld at her berth in New York. Shehad arrived two days after the strike

broke out.

Pay raises have been made effective, or

will be within the near future, for practi-

cally all employees of the Panama Canal

Company and the Canal Zone Government.Zonians, however, will be affected by the

higher income tax rates, which according to

recent legislation, are effective November 1.

Just prior to its adjournment October 20,

Congress voted a 10 percent increase, with

a $300 floor and an $800 ceiling, for classi-

fied employees, of whom approximately

2.000 are in the Company-Government serv-

ice. Another bill brought a similar raise for

postal employees and a third provided sim-

ilar increases for policemen, firemen, andteachers. All of these raises are retroactive

to July 1.

On October 14, following the quarterly

review of crafts rates in the Canal organiza-

tion, based on naval shipyard rates, in-

creases of from one to six cents an hour

were put into effect. There are about

1,200 crafts employees in the organization.

On November 4, pay raises of two cents

an hour go into effect for about 14,000 local

rate employees. Corresponding increases

will be made for those not in the graded

wage scale, such as teachers, deckhands, andboatswains. The new local-rate pay scale

will range from a minimum of 33 cents to a

top of $1.47 per hour. The new pay raises

have no relation to within-grade promotions

made annually for local rate workers.

The use of cash was extended Novem-ber 1 to three more Panama Canal com-missaries: Gatun, Cocoli, and PedroMiguel.

All commissaries eventually will goon the cash system, the dates of thechange-overs depending on the arrival

of the necessary cash registers.

Ancon commissary has been operat-

ing on a cash system since last March.Cash has been used in the Curunducommissary since June.

Members of organized employee groups

on the Canal Zone are planning a gala wel-

come this month for Representative Daniel

A. Reed of New York, sponsor of the ReedBill which killed retroactive income tax for

the Canal Zone.The Congressman and his wife are due

November 26 for an 18-day visit to the

Canal Zone.A member of the Congress since 1918,

Representative Reed is the ranking Repub-lican member of the House Ways and MeansCommittee. It is estimated that the ReedBill saved Canal employees at least

$2,750,000 in back taxes.

Two changes have been made in rent-

als for Company quarters. Rental in-

creasesfornon-employee tenants, whichwere to have gone into effect November1, have been deferred to an indefinite

date.Rental rates for quarters occupied by

Company or Government employeeswill be computed to the nearest centinstead of to the nearest 50 cents up-ward when rent is collected on a weeklybasis beginning with paychecks to bereceived November 6.

Non-residents of the Pacific side, visiting

Balboa Heights for the first time in a couple

of months, will find a vacant space up the

hill from the Administration Building.

Razing of the two official houses whichstood in this location for 36 years is practi-

cally completed. Both of the old houses hadbeen brought in from Culebra and for morethan 25 years one was assigned to the Exec-utive Secretary and the other to the Chief

Quartermaster. The most recent occupantsof the two houses were Edward N. Stokes,

Railroad and Terminals Director, andArnold Bruckner, Finance Director.

The cleared area will be occupied by newofficial quarters.


Canal's Motor Transportation DivisionReplacing Worn-Out Official Vehicles

An. \ chicle replacement pro-

gram is under way in the Panama Canal

Company's Motor Transportation Divi-

sion, but the resultant change will be al-

most unnoticed by the average Zonian.

If funds are approved as they are nowset up, the MTD's fleet of approximately

800 vehicles within three to four years will

be "up to standard and of the proper aver-

age age, as is the practice in commercial

companies in the United States," accord-

ing to B. I. Everson, Superintendent of

the Division.

The replacement program began in the

fiscal year 1950, with the expenditure of

$225,000 to replace over-age vehicles. In

1951, $325,000 was allocated for new ve-

hicles and the last of the vehicles purchased

under this requisition has only recently

been received on the Isthmus.

During the current fiscal year, the

Motor Transportation Division will re-

ceive 73 new vehicles at a total cost of

about $200,000.

Among the vehicles on order for this

year are six sedans, which most people

consider the only type of official cars in

use, three cablesplicers, 24 pickups, a spe-

cial surveyor vehicle, and two of the huge

garbage load packers, which cost over

$12,000 apiece, as well as other assorted

vehicles for various purposes.

Bureau of the Budget requirements,

Mr. Everson explained, call for retirement

of the smaller vehicles, such as the sedans,

when they are six years old or have run

60,000 miles. Large and heavier vehicles

may be operated six to ten or more years,

provided they are in good condition.

There is a longer life-span for less fre-

quently-used vehicles and a much shorter

period for the heavily used cars.

The Port Captain's station wagons,

which make at least two round trips

across the Isthmus nightly, have a usable

life of only about three years.

"Owns" All Official Vehicles

With the exception of Police and Fire

Division vehicles, Health Bureau ambu-lances and hearses, and a few special pur-

pose vehicles (heavy cranes, etc.) used byother Divisions, every official vehicle used

by the Panama Canal Company and the

Canal Zone Government "belongs" to the

Motor Transportation Division.

This MTD motor fleet is "rented" out

to the divisions needing such transporta-

tion, on an hourly, monthly, mileage, or

actual cost plus overhead basis, with or

without chauffeur, as the situation re-

quires, on established tariff rates which

are reviewed and revised from time to time.

There are now more of these MTDspecial-purpose vehicles in service than

ever before on the Canal Zone, Mr. Ever-

son pointed out the other day.

"It is the practice of the Motor Trans-

portation Division," he said, "to purchase

and operate the best type of equipmentfor each job, as far as is reasonable and

proper. At present, special type vehicles

are used for garbage collection, wrecking

service, trash collection, etc.

"The Electrical Division is now sup-

plied with special-duty trucks for the use

of their linemen and cablesplicers andplans call for special type trucks for tele-

phone repairmen. Special purpose vehi-

cles have recently been assigned to the

Municipal Division for their engineering

and surveying parties."

Until recent years, the Motor Trans-

portation Division had no funds, other

than those accumulated from "deprecia-

tion accruals," with which to replace

over-age vehicles in the motor fleet. As a

result many of the vehicles still operating

are long past their economical age.

Inflation Jumps Prices

This replacement through accrued de-

preciation worked satisfactorily in normal

times, but not in periods of inflation. Ofrecent years, the MTD has found that a

vehicle would build up depreciation funds

totaling $1,000, which equalled the origi-

nal purchase price. But when time cameto replace the vehicle in question, the pur-

chase price had jumped over 100 percent.

Now, under the reorganization, funds

can be made available by the Company'sBoard of Directors, to make up this gapbetween the funds accrued and the pur-

chase cost of the new vehicles.

Since July 1949 a program of preven-

tive maintenance has been in effect at the

MTD. Vehicles which have been used for

approximately two years are removedfrom service and given a thorough engine

overhaul, a brake overhaul, and necessary

body repairs.

As a result of this plan, Mr. Eversonsaid, the MTD fleet is now in better over-

all condition than for the past ten years.

The vehicles spend less time in the repair

shop and the number of pool, or standby,

vehicles has been reduced. The using

units benefit considerably and increase

efficient use of their transportation.

Mr. Everson has two major jobs which,

on the surface, are contradictory. ' His

MTD position requires that he keep

transportation operating. On the other

hand, he is Mileage Administrator, and as

such he must keep to a minimum the

mileage of the official vehicles, especially

on the Trans-Isthmian highway. The high-

way is used by such vehicles as tractor-

trucks which haul mash from breweries in

Panama City to the Mindi Dairy, by re-

frigerated trailers which make deliveries

from the Cold Storage plant at MountHope to the various line stores, and by a

number of other vehicles on more or less

regular runs.

Organized in 1921, the Motor Trans-

portation Division was originally called

the "Animal and Motor Transportation

Division." That is why the two main

shops are commonly known as "corrals."

Force Totals 537 Employees

The Division is now part of the Supply

and Service Bureau. It operates the two

large garages at Ancon, on Gaillard High-

way, and Mount Hope, not far from Silver

City. There are four other, smaller ga-

rages at Gamboa, Cocoli, Pedro Miguel,

and Gatun. In October of this year, the

Division's force totaled 537 employees, of

whom 133 were on the U. S.-rate rolls.

Of this latter group 60 were the chauf-

feurs who handle all of the Division's

heavy equipment.

Last August, 296 of the Motor Trans-

portation Division chauffeurs won awards

for driving one to five years without

accidents. A total of 3,760,176 miles was

driven without accident or conviction for

traffic violations. This averaged morethan 1 1 ,000 miles of safe driving for every

chauffeur in the Division.

Every Division has its heroes, sung and

unsung, and the Motor Transportation

Division has one to whom a monumentwas erected. This is the Richard T. Per-

rott Memorial, on Balboa Road just be-

low the Balboa Union Church. Perrott

was killed on a Sunday morning, Febru-

ary S, 1920, when the brakes on his ice-

truck gave way. The truck plunged downSan Pablo Street, out of control, and

Perrott ran it into a curb to keep from

striking a woman and three small children

who were on their way to Sunday school.

The memorial, on which a wreath is placed

each Decoration Day, was erected "bythe school children of this Communityand other friends."

-.iV '

T1IK OLD: Horsedrawn vehicles were an important part of the Animal and

Motor Transportation Division when it was set up. Stables were then as mucha part of the division's buildings as facilities for motor vehicles.

AND THE NEW: Thirty years have brought changes to the MTD. The

Animal part of its title has long since been dropped although the main shops like

Ancon (above) are still known familiarly to old and not so old timers as Corrals.


Teaching, Learning, Mean Busy Life

For Longtime C. Z. CabinetmakerEmile Benjamin doesn't have the first

penny he ever earned, but he does have

the first carpenter's tool he ever bought.

And he still uses that sturdy chisel he

purchased many years ago.

"Mr. Ben," as he is known to all of

his friends and his students at the LaBoca Junior and Senior High School—as

well as those who study cabinetmaking

with him in night classes—has one over-

whelming pride. Like all real craftsmen,

he values the tools of his trade over any-

thing else. He will lend any money he

may happen to have; his tools are never

lent to anyone.

His big, metal-bound tool box occupies

a place of honor, in a room which can be

locked, in the airy workshop under the

La Boca Junior High School. Many of

the tools he made himself.

One of his favorites is a screwdriver

with a handle of orange wood, from a tree

from a grove which once stood where the

Governor's house is now located. Other

items of special pride are beautifully-made

wooden planes. Some of them are for

molding, some for beading, and others for

special jobs.

Mr. Ben firmly believes that no one

ever knows enough about his trade and

he has managed to communicate some of

this belief to the 45 Senior and Junior

High School pupils and the 20 or so

adults he teaches.

Came To Zone In 1906

A good part of Mr. Ben's skill and en-

thusiasm he credits to his first teacher, a

Mr. Wellington from London, who migra-

ted to St. Lucia in the West Indies where

Mr. Ben was born August 11, 1887.

"The only thing he couldn't do," Mr.

Ben remarks, "was to put life into a

wooden bird he had carved and to makeit fly."

Mr. Ben had worked six years with his

British teacher when other Saint Lucians

returned from Panama with stories of the

building of a Canal. Mr. Ben paid his

own way to Panama on the Royal Mail

Packet Trent, and got a job at once,

building a hotel in Gorgona. This was

April 1906.

He could handle tools—that was what

he had worked six years to learn—but he

wanted to know how to care for them.

Under the tutelage of an American fore-

man and with the aid of instructions from

a nationally-known tool manufacturing

RETIREMENTSIN OCTOBER

Employees who retired at the end of

October, their birthplaces, titles, length of

service at retirement, and their future

addresses are:

Mrs. Anna J. Japs, Iowa, Cashier,

Commissary Division; 55 years and 6 days;

Canal Zone.Paul A. Pearson, Illinois, Guard Super-

visor, Dredging Division; 34 years, 1 month,and 9 days; St. Petersburg, Fla.

Capt. Samuel Roe, Indiana, Senior De-tective, Cristobal; 38 years, 8 months, and1 day; Canal Zone.Joseph A. Snyder, Pennsylvania, Elec-

trical Foreman, Cristobal; 16 years, 2

months, and 1 day; Livingston, N. J.

J. R. Williams, Indiana, GovernmentalSystems Accountant; 42 years, 5 months,and 17 days; St. Petersburg, Fla.

Robert T. Toone, Tennessee; Property

Officer, Administrative Branch; 32 years,

4 months, \5yi days; Texas.

EMILE BF.X.JAMIX

concern, he learned to sharpen saws

properly—but he used up three in the

process of learning

!

Later, Mr. Ben learned to read blue-

prints and diagrams and for five years,

with no grade under an 85, he took a

correspondence course in contracting and

building and engineering mathematics

and drafting. Since then he has com-

pleted a dozen extension courses, amongthem Educational Psychology and Teach-

ing Technique, at the La Boca Junior

College.

Before he went to the Schools Division

in 1933—he was on a three-month trial

and is still there—he had worked on about

every important carpentry job in the

Canal Zone. Woodwork in the Hotel

Tivoli dining room is his; so are the

beautiful balustrades on the staircases in

the Administration Building. He helped

with the carpentry at the Colon and Pan-

ama Railroad stations, the woodwork in

the Balboa commissary and the first con-

crete quarters in Balboa. He helped to

install, and later keep in repair, bowling

alleys from Balboa to Fort Sherman and

ran the sawmill for all the Fort Amadorbarracks.

Helped Rebuild Governor's House

One of his most interesting jobs wasthe re-erection of the Governor's house.

Once occupied by Colonel Goethals at

Culebra, the house was taken down in

sections which were moved by flat car

and muledrawn carts to its present loca-

tion in Balboa Heights. There it was re-

assembled, repaired, and put up.

Mr. Ben is prouder of the work done

by his students than of his own. "A good

many boys who studied here are holding

good jobs all over the Isthmus, many of

their jobs far more important than mine,"

he says. He has 14 twelfth-graders three

hours a day, 31 ninth-grade students an

hour a day, and about 20 working on

cabinetmaking in night school.

Recently they reconditioned the old

model of Ancon Hospital which is on

display at the Civil Affairs Building. This

job won a commendation from Col. Rich-

ardson Selee, Civil Affairs Director.

Mr. Ben is married and lives in PanamaCity. One of his sons, whom he himself

taught and then apprenticed to a crafts-

man in Panama, has a good job with the

Building Division

His free evenings Mr. Ben no longer

devotes to cabinetmaking as a hobby.

Occasionally some years ago, he used to

do a little private, after-hours work. Buthis days and evenings, too, are full now.

School teaching is a 24-hour job, Mr. Benfigures, what with planning ahead and

ordering materials. But it's all part of

the educational process and Mr. Ben con-

siders that he still has a lot to learn.

Anniversaries

Employees who observed important anni-

versaries in the United States Governmentservice during the month of October art'

listed alphabetically below. The number of

years includes all Government service, with

the Canal or other agencies. Those with

continuous Canal or Railroad service are

indicated by (*).

40 Years

George E. Matthew, Chief Hydrog-rapher, Meteorological and HydrographicBranch.

35 Years

Charles F. Stevens, Fire Lieutenant,

Pedro Miguel Station.

30 Years

William H. Casswell, Fire Captain,

Cristobal Station.

Kathleen T. Baxter, Teacher, AnconElementary School.

Clara E. Neville, Cleric-Stenographer,

Law Division.

August T. Schmidt, Administrative

Assistant, Supply and Service Bureau.

25 Years

Antonio Orsini, Surveying and Carto-

graphic Engineer (Supervisor), SurveysBranch.Archie W. French, Jr., Electrical Wel-

der, Building Division.

John T Dillon, Dipper Dredge Engineer,

Dredging Division.

Whitman P. Garrett, Policeman, GatunStation.

20 Years

Russell L. Gallaher, Accounting Clerk,

Municipal Division.

*Bernardine LI. Hanna, Teacher, AnconElementary School.

*Jeanne E. Brown, Teacher, Cristobal

High School.Florence A. Lamson, Teacher, Cristo-

tobal Elementary School.

*Cyrus W. Field, Master Shipfitter, In-

dustrial Bureau.James C. Slade, Plant Engineer, Com-

missary Division.

John C. Harrison, Chief Towboat Engi-

neer, Dredging Division.

Richard J. Koperski, Storekeeper, Div-

ision of Storehouses.Howard J. Shearer, Timekeeper, Motor

Transportation Division.

15 Years

William L. Brooks, Accounting Clerk,

Electrical Division.

Charles L. Green, Policeman, Cristobal

Station.

Frederick E. Knox, Foreman Carpenter,

Railroad Division.

Thorwald H. Forsstrom, Chief MarineDispatcher, Cristobal.

"Joseph H. Orr, Jr., Storekeeper, Divi-

sion of Storehouses.Cecilia E. Wensing, Nurse, Gorgas

Hospital.Ruth L. Turner, Library Assistant, Li-

brarv Section.

Mary W. Ewing, Payroll Clerk, FinanceBureau.Clement J. Genis, Commissary Mana-

ger, Margarita.

10 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW November 2, 1951

Piloting Ships Through Panama CanalRequires Skillful, Precise Handling

strain on the towing locomotives wouldhave been too great and unnecessary wearand tear caused both to locomotive ma-chinery and wires.)

The Parismina was loaded with 68,000

stems of bananas, a bulky but not a

heavy cargo, and the water rushing fromthe lock culverts caused her to rock

slightly as she rose.

Radio Sets Provide Contact

While she was still moving up in the

chamber a handline was tossed aboard

and a portable radio receiving and send-

ing set was hauled from the lock wall to

the ship. This was to replace the radio

brought aboard earlier, which was not

working properly. These radios, operat-

ing on a special wave length, enable a

pilot to keep in touch with his dispatcher

and with other ships. Over them he can

receive orders if visibility is so bad he

cannot see the navigation signals.

At 10:45 the two forward towing loco-

motives—they tow, the center pair towor brake as the need be, and the last pair

brake—had reached the end of their run

along the two chambers, a signal wassounded on the Parismina's whistle, the

lines were cast off and the Parisminastarted the 0.85-mile crossing of Mira-

flores Lake.

The Dona Alicia, No. 4 northbound,

had been ordered into the Pedro Miguelwest chamber, so Captain Boyd, in an-

swer to the signal of the arrow, swung the

Parismina over to the lock's east cham-ber. Another half hour, more or less, and,

with a tricky and sudden south wind, he

started the Fruit ship into the 6.7-mile

long Cut, the narrowest stretch of the

Canal.

In the Cut, Captain Boyd held the

Parismina down to the prescribed six

knots, watching for the signals on the

three stations where sharp bends obscure

the view ahead. At each, however, he

found the cone and ball on the east yard-

arm, which meant that he could go ahead.

(At night a red light over a white one

would have been the proceed signal, andin heavy rain or fog he would have got-

ten the order by radio.)

"W" Means "Whistle"

Before the sharpest turns, great white-

painted "W's" have been set on the bank.

These mean "whistle," to warn any on-

coming ships. Meeting in the Cut is per-

mitted ships of ordinary size (not for

carriers, loaded oreships, or unusually

large vessels) but it is controlled so that

ships do not meet at the sharp bends.

No ship can overtake or pass another in

the length of the Cut.

CARRIERS LIKE the U. S. S. Randolph, above, have five pilots aboard when they transit the

Canal. The pilot-in-eharge remains on the ship's bridge; the others, one at each corner of the flignt-

deck. The two forward pilots help guide the carrier, which has very little clearance, into the locks; the

two aft pilots try to prevent her from scraping or touching as she leaves the lock chambers.

Telephones ring as early as 3:30 o'clock

some mornings for Panama Canal pilots.

The calls are the pilots' advance notice

that they are about to go to work.

Captain Robert F. Boyd was lucky oneday last month. His telephone didn't ring

until 6:30 o'clock. He would be picked

up in half an hour, the dispatcher told

him. He was to go to the outer anchoragewhere he would board the United Fruit

Company's Parismina, which was en

route from Seattle to New York. The7,067 gross ton ship, 455 feet in length,

was to go through the Canal and woulddock at Cristobal. The Parismina wouldbe No. 5 on the northbound schedule.

The sea "outside" was rough, and for a

time it looked as if boarding would have to

be done by tug. But the weather calmeddown and the pilot was able to boardfrom a launch. By 9:15 the sleek, white

ship was sliding through the Balboa basin.

There are a number of critical points

for any pilot on a transit through the

Canal; the sea side entrance of the first

lock, entering and leaving all locks, the

locks themselves, and the Cut. And the

reason is, in general, the same: currents.

When the sea-level lock gates at Mira-flores and Gatun are opened, salt sea

water tends to rush into the lock chamberand force the fresh water in the lock to

Both lock and channel pilots wereused when the Canal first opened butthis practice was discontinued after afew years. In May 1914, before theCanal was opened to traffic, enoughapplications were on hand to morethan fill the complement of 18 whichwas set up, and by the following montheight channel pilots were training. InOctober 1914, traffic had increased to

such a degree that the pilot force wasincreased to 24.

rush out. In addition the fresh water is

lighter than the sea water. This all tends

to set up a strong current in the jaws of

the lock and presents a handling problem

to even the most maneuverable vessel.

Suction Pulls Water Down

When a ship leaves the locks, suction

caused by the ship itself pulls water downfrom the sides of the locks as the ship

begins to move ahead. This forces the

ship's stern to "go for the wall" and care-

ful rudder and engine movements are

needed to keep the ship moving straight

ahead and off the wall. And in the nar-

rowest reaches of the Canal, especially in

the Cut, the moving ship pulls water

down from the bank and sets up hard-to-

deal-with currents.

As Captain Boyd and the Parisminaneared Miraflores, he gave the order to

stop the ship's engines. The officer onwatch sent the order to the engine roomvia the telegraph on the bridge, repeating

the order as he worked the telegraph.

Captain Boyd maneuvered the Fruit ship

up to the west chamber to which the big

arrow on the end of the approach wall

had directed him. At exactly 10:02 the

ship's bow slid past the arrow. This set

the official time for entering the locks

—

the time which was recorded in the ship's

log and on the board at the Balboa dis-

patcher's office.

As the Parismina is in the 350- 500-foot

class, she called for six locomotives, three

on each side. They were waiting on the

lock wall. Lines were tossed to the 13-

man Canal crew, which had gone aboardin the Balboa basin, and a hand signal

from the pilot after both bow wires wereaboard and the ship was partly in the

chamber indicated that the locomotives

could start to tow. (Going from onechamber to the next, this initial move is

aided by the ship's engines; otherwise the

For about five years after the Canal

opened, pilots were required to wearuniforms. The first ones were of creamcolored Palm Beach cloth, made like

a Navy uniform with a stiff, standing

collar fastened with hooks and eyes.

Brass buttons down the front of the

jacket bore the letters "C. P." and the

visored cap had an open wreath insig-

nia surrounding the word "Pilot." Nopilot in uniform was permitted to enter

a bar or any other place where liquor

was sold.

November 2, 1951 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 11

Meeting ships head directly for each

other; a few hundred feet from the meet-

ing point each eases over to her starboard

side, the bow swings out sharply as the

ships pass and the stern keeps pulling

toward the bank. Each pilot must act

quickly to work his ship against currents

set up by his own and the other ship, in

addition to watching for the bank suction

which tends to pull the stern onto the

near bank.

The Parismina met two ships in the

Cut. One of them was another United

Fruit craft, the Hibueras, and each of the

Fruit ships set up a great greeting din

with its whistle.

A huge waterfall spilled down the east

bank of Empire Reach and on the west

bank hydraulic sluicing sent spray high

into the air.

Past Gamboa and into the channel,

which had widened to 500 feet, Captain

Boyd opened the Parismina up. In the

500-foot Gamboa Reach, a ship's speed

can be increased to as high as 10 knots;

in San Pablo Reach, beyond Gamboawhere the channel is 800 feet wide, the

speed can rise to 12 knots, and in the

1,000-foot-wide winding channel which

follows the old bed of the Chagres River

through Gatun Lake, Captain Boyd could

get up to 15 knots.

Pilots Don't Steer

People who have lived on the Isthmusfor years and who have seen countless

ships go through the Canal, still think

that a pilot actually handles the wheel of

the ship. He never touches it, as a wheels-

man cannot see enough of the ship to

handle her. Instead, the pilot gives his

orders to the able seaman or quarter-

master on duty. These men stand shifts

of two hours each at the wheel and each

repeats the pilot's order as it is given, to

prevent error.

An officer is also on duty in the wheel-

house and he answers the pilot's order for

engine movements as he rings these orders

to the engine room by the ship's telegraph.

The Parismina's bridge also had tele-

phone connections to the engine room.By Canal regulations, the ship's master,

in this case Captain Carl Christiansen,

remains on the bridge when his ship is in

the locks, the Cut, or when it is docking.

At 1:40 p. m., the Parismina eased

around the last bend in the crooked,

island-bordered channel through the

Lake, and Captain Boyd could see GatunLocks, still three miles ahead. For early

northbound ships, Gatun Locks are usu-

ally the bottleneck of the transit, just as

Pedro Miguel Locks are for the first of

the southbound vessels. Late-comersmaystill be locking up, and those completing

the transit must wait.

Captain Boyd and the Parismina were

moderately lucky. No. 3 northbound, a

lumber ship, was just pulling into the east

side of Gatun. The Dona Alicia, which

had been ahead of the Parismina all the

way through, was signalled into the west

chamber. Captain Boyd was reasonably

sure that the use of both sides at Gatunmeant that the southbound traffic had

cleared for the day and that the wait

would not be long.

Down Lockage Begins

Following instructions relayed by the

arrow signal, he brought the Parismina

up to the center approach wall and tied

her up. For the next 45 minutes he could

stretch out in a deck chair, the first time

he had been off his feet during the entire

transit. He had even eaten his lunch

from a tray, while he was standing.

Soon after 3:00 o'clock the preceding

ship's locomotives started back to pick

up the Fruit ship. Her engines were

started, her rudder thrown hard over to

bring her away from the lock wall and at

3:15 p. m. she began to move into the

first chamber. The 86-foot lockage down,

in the three chambers was uneventful and

took just 55 minutes. In the center cham-

ber, while the ship was dropping, the

pilot received, by handline from the lock

wall, his docking orders. They are writ-

ten to prevent any confusion—written in

numerals and letters, then spelled out:

He was to go to 6-C, or Six Charley.

Down the last stretch of the Canal the

Parismina moved into Limon Bay. About4:30 the tug Alhajuela, with her gaily-

shirted Master, came alongside and got

ready to assist her into her berth.

When the Parismina was only half a

length from the end of the pier, a small

harbor craft began to cut across her bow,between ship and pier. For a moment it

was touch-and-go. The boat showed nosign of turning from her path. Captain

Boyd ordered both the Parismina's en-

gines half speed astern and then, a second

later, full speed astern. He grabbed for

the whistle and blew three sharp blasts,

HAXD SIGNALS are most frequently used'by

Canal pilots as they direct a ship's transit. Experi-

enced travelers have expressed surprise at the little

conversation necessary between pilot and the lock or

dock personnel. But a megaphone, like that which

Pilot Robert Boyd is holding, comes in handy'. from

time to time.

TWO PILOTS are required for ships the size of the 712-foot Georgic, shown here in Gaillard Cut.

One pilot alone would not have sufficient risibility to handle a ship of this size and would exhaust himself

racing from side to side of its bridge. The Georgic is 27,468 gross tons and has a beam of 82 feet.

which said: "My engines are going full

astern." To a landlubber that meant

that he had the ship braked as much as

he could.

But the operator of the small craft

appeared to be completely oblivious to

the danger of being rammed by the Par-

ismina or ramming her. He continued on

his course, those aboard his boat waving

to the Fruit ship.

Half an hour too late for Captain Boydto catch the 4:30 train back to Balboa,

the Parismina was tied up and the pilot

had finished another transit. Dinner at

the Hotel Washington (pilots are allowed

$2 for dinner when they are on duty) anda trip back across the Isthmus by car

(two station wagons run; one at 7:30, the

other at midnight; later comers can spend

the rest of the night at the hotel but mostprefer to take a special car trip if trans-

portation is available) and the pilot washome by 9:00 o'clock. It had been a 15-

hour day, short in comparison with someand considerably shorter than during

locks overhaul when a transit may take

18 to 22 houi-s. Ordinarily pilots workonly alternate days; each has one certain

"no work" day each week.

Capt. Boyd Is Young Pilot

Captain Boyd is one of the youngest in

years, 2S, and in service, 2, of the Pan-ama Canal's 77 pilots. He served as

Third, Second, and Chief Officer in the

Army Transport Services during the war(part of the time he was aboard the Cris-

tobal) and as Third and Chief Officer of

the Cristobal after the war.

Like all applicants for jobs with the

Canal, he holds an unlimited master's

license and served for over a year as

master of the MV San Pablo, a small

Fruit ship which operated regularly

through the Canal for a time.

In his two years with the Canal, he has

made over 300 transits, (.See page 20)


2%& £%& 2%$-

*fcr ^sf $t£

TIME IS FLYING!

We Are All Counting

The Days to Christmas

!

* *

Shopping will be a pleasure if you go to your favorite Clubhouse Record Section and browse

through our large selection of phonograph records. We have a wide choice of Christmas records,

as well as records for children and adults—from bedtime stories to swing and symphony. We

also have record storage albums that would make very suitable gifts. Your Christmas shopping

problems will be solved by giving phonograph records—a gift that will give lasting pleasure

throughout the year.

CHRISTMAS ALBUMS AVAILABLE

78, 45, 33-1/3 rpm

"Carols for Christmas"

"Merry Christmas" Bing Crosby

"Under the Christmas Tree"

by Jan Garber's Orchestra

"Christmas Greetings" Bing Crosby

"Carols" by St. Luke's Choristers

Ethel Smith, "Christmas Music"

"Night Before Christmas"

by Fibber McGee

"Twas the Night Before Christmas"

by Fred Waring's Orchestra

"A Visit from St. Nicholas"

"Christmas Cheer" Andrews Sisters

"Music for Christmastide"

by the Rome-Vatican Choir

"Christmas Favorites" by Vic Damoneand Frankie Lane

"Christmas Music and Stories"

by Two-Ton Baker

^ CjjR/S^

SINGLE RECORDS AVAILABLE

78 and 45 rpm

"Christmas Carols by the Old Corral,"

Tex Ritter

"Jingle Bells" J. Mercer

"Little Town of Bethlehem"

"Frosty the Snowman"

"Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer"

Crosby "Christmas"

"Silent Night" Fred Waring

"The First Nowell" Fred Waring

"White Christmas" by Crosby, Cavallaro

and other artists

"Santa Claus is coming to Town"Bing Crosby

"Joy to the World"

"Hark, the Herald Angels Sing"

"Santa's Toy Shop"

"Night Before Christmas"

by Arthur Godfrey

"Hymns for Children"

Brahms "Lullaby"

"Mother Goose Songs"

AND HUNDREDS OF OTHERS BY ALL POPULAR ARTISTS!

PRICES RANGE FROM 25c. UPWARD

WHERE ELSE CAN YOU GET SO MUCH PLEASURE FOR SO LITTLE?

* *

Incidentally, if we don't have your favorite record, complete one of the Request Slips at a

Clubhouse Record Section, and we'll make every attempt to obtain the record for you.

We also have a fine selection of seasonal sheet music and song folios featuring new and old

Christmas hymns and popular music. If you have a piano, you'll want some of these to amuse

yourself and the children.

November 2,1951 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 13

BALBOA'S "BULLDOGS" are the largest and heaviest, per man, of the

Zone's school football squads. Twenty-six players have just returned from

Miami where they put up a good, if losing fight to Miami Jackson's unde-

feated team. Left to right above are: Back row: Tom Jenkins, Francis Boyd,

Andy Wright, Bill Riley, Frank Bryan, Dave Sundquist, Bob Carroll, BobMorris, Bill Elton, Cleveland Soper, Ronnie McDonnell, Carl Meissner, Bill

Altman, Charlie McConnell, Irwin Frank, Sam Maphis, Clair Godby, George

Dansby, Coach Paul Dreska; Middle row: Coach John Fawcett, Manager

• ." ~ *.*.. - .'

. .'/-

Jim Scogno, Jim Jones, Ray Nickisher, Dan Gresang, Everett Stacy, BobColeson, Jerry Fox, Joe Oliver, Jim Fulton, Jim May, Bob Peacher, Dick Dill-

man, Bob Glud, John Albritton, Tom Davidson, L. W. Hearn, Bill llnderwood,

Manager Bill Yerkes; Front row: Manager Ray Tucker, Jerry Halman, KenKnight, Bob Ranson, Dave Henderson, Ted Norrir, Bill Dawson, Charlie

Smith, Walt Benny, Bill Fullerton, Frank Smith, Bob Dolan, Marc McKee,Lambert Montovani, Lee Myers, Fred Cotton, Dick Ostrea; Sitting, MascotJeff Goodin.

t.' f • f f §- %' & °

Vy

''%*f *l*5 33.34 IB 13 II

COLLEGE'S "GREEN WAVE" is the smallest of the football squads.

For at least half of the players this year is their first at football. Left to right

they are: Front row: Charles Becktell, Alexander McKeown, James Neabrey,

Alfred Aleguas, George McArthur, Frank Robinson (Captain), William Ma-loney, Bob Sievers, Jess Kruse, Manuel Roy; Back row: Roger Hackett, Dean

of the Junior College, Paul Karst, Assistant Coach, Jack Alexaitis, Wendell

Spreadbury, Richard Hopiak, Arturo Cermelli, William Stevenson, Henry

Phillips, Nick Gnrham, Nick Stokes, Jack Morton, Elias Entebi, Ralph Huls,

Robert Mower, Coach. Not pictured are: Tom Crawford, Roy Hohmann,Felix Larrinaga, Luis Tremblay, and Anton Pedersen.

CRISTOBAL'S "FIGHTING TIGERS" are the proud wearers of their

school's Blue and Gold. Left to right, Back row: Roy Wilson, Vernon Bryant,

Robert Blakeley, Paul Whitlock, Benny Favorite, Richard Reed, Tommy Sal-

ter, Robert Bailey, Joe Katalina?, Walter Kuhrt, Tommy Hughes; Third row:

Head Coach Luke Palumbo, Leslie Rinehart, John Anderson, Robert Grace,

John Robinson, Jack Katalinas, Arnold Manning, Theodore Chin, RalphReccia, Francisco Wong, Robert Orvis, Assistant Coach Paul Moser; Second

row: Manager Robert De Estrada, Roland Lees, Charlie Thompson, Richard

Sasso, Tony Dyer, Carl Tuttle, Donald Ponder, Robert Salter, Clifton Hay-ward, John Roberts, Jimmy Custer, Manager Andy Frazer; Front row: Er-

nesto Penaranda, Robert Hodges, Kenneth Roscoe, Robert Connard, MascotDonald Humphreys, Antonio Collins, Bruce Sanders, Ted Englebright,

Will Price, Head Manager Jimmy Doyle.


NEWS OF YOUR COMMISSARY STORES

The EGGand YOU

AN EGG is NOT just an egg, any more than a customer is

just a customer. Both come in many sizes and varieties.

Maybe you prefer the finest, largest eggs regardless of

price or maybe you believe the Commissaries should handle

smaller or lower quality eggs at a lower price.

To tell you about the eggs in the Commissary, what

quality they are, and why we buy them, we want to tell you

first about eggs generally.

Eggs are classed first as Specials, Extras, Standards,

Trades, Dirties, Checks, and Clots.

Then they are graded as "Consumer AA," "A," "B," or

"C," according to the percentage of specials, extras, stand-

ards, etc., in the lot.

These grades are based primarily on freshness. The fresh-

ness is determined by the over-all care with which the egg is

handled, not the amount of time from the day it is laid by a

hen in Missouri or Kentucky until it is purchased by the

consumer.

Eggs are also classified as "Extra Large" or "Jumbo,"

"Large," "Medium," or "Pullet" in size. A wholesale price

differential of 30 cents a dozen between pullet and large eggs

of the same quality is not unusual, and a differential of 10

cents to 15 cents a dozen is normal between storage and fresh

eggs of the same size and type.

THE EGGS YOU BUY IN THE COMMISSARY are

graded "Consumer Grade A, Fresh, Large."

These eggs are produced in specialized egg "factories" or

large cooperatives near New York City with the result that

they are less than two days old when delivered to the steam-

ship.

When you buy them at your local commissary, they are

well within the specifications for "fresh" eggs, are in excellent

condition, and have had special and careful handling at every

point in shipment. The Commissary Division has had no

storage eggs for several years.

Recently we have been able to buy on some occasions a

few hundred cases of imported fresh eggs which were sold at

70 to 75 cents a dozen. However, these eggs could not be

inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture as

the usual supply is, and the supply was limited, so the im-

ported eggs are not a very important part of the story about

the EGG and YOU.

The large size eggs now sold in the Commissaries sell for

95 cents a dozen, the medium size, 87 cents. Both are of

identical high quality.

WE BUY THESE EGGS BECAUSE they are the best

that can be purchased regularly in commercial quantities.

WE DO NOT BUY "Consumer AA" eggs or those of

"Extra Large" or "Jumbo" size because they are not available

in the quantities in which eggs are necessarily purchased by

the Commissary Division.

We think these eggs would cost too much to suit our cus-

tomers, anyway.

WE DO NOT BUY "just eggs," even though you might

pay less for them if we did, because we tried that once and

learned our lesson. Maybe you remember, too, the period in

which . . . . ?

We believe the "just eggs" of that period didn't please

you any more than they pleased us.

After the explanation, maybe you still believe the Com-

missary should handle bigger or better eggs, even if they cost

more, or "just eggs," which might cost less.

Undoubtedly, eggs, like everything else these days, cost

more than we would like to have extracted from the family

exchequer. In which case, we suggest that there may be

economizing possibilities in powdered whole eggs, which might

be used without breaking up the family circle.

Even if there is a former GI in the family, powdered eggs

might be used—and without serious repercussions—in mix-

tures such as pastries, meat loaf, codfish cakes, and puddings.

They also work up into beautiful appearing custards although

the flavor is not the same as in custards made with whole eggs.

Powdered whole eggs cost 44 cents for an eight-ounce tin,

which is the equivalent of one-and-a-half dozen whole fresh

eggs. That makes the cost about 30 cents per dozen.

Turkey Talk

TURKEYS, and plenty of them, are on hand in the Commissaries for

Thanksgiving dinners. Balboa butcher Castor Miller shows Mrs. RodgerGriffith one of the fine, big birds from his stock.

There will be plenty of turkey and trimmings in the com-

missaries this month for the traditional Thanksgiving Dayfeast.

About 25,000 pounds of turkey—something like 2,500

birds— have been ordered and started arriving about the first

of the month.

Included in this order are the high-quality eviscerated

turkeys which were popular with our customers last year.

The holiday turkeys in the commissaries are all from the

United States and are this year's crop and kill.

Then for the traditional trimmings, there will be the

Commissary specialties of brandy-flavored mincemeat and

pumpkin pie mix. Or, you can buy delicious pies already

baked in our Pastry Sections.

Other "trimmings" available for holiday tables will in-

clude olives, pickles, and relishes, celery and lettuce, fruit-

cakes, cheeses, mints, and candies and nuts.


TOUR HEALTH(The Review begins this series with

Dr. Gilbert M. Stevenson, Chief of the

Department of Internal Medicine at Gor-

gas Hospital.)

There aren't many people on the Canal

Zone who don't know Dr. Gilbert Steven-

son—

"Dr. Steve" to many of them—in

person, by sight, or by reputation. Des-

pite a schedule which keeps him movingsteadily five and a half days each week

—

and not infrequently at night—he has

managed to get to know hundreds of

people on both sides of and from the

center of the Isthmus.

Because Gorgas Hospital is a teaching

hospital and because he is on its teaching

staff, he has the duties of instructor as

well as of physician and consultant.

As Chief of the Department of Internal

Medicine, Dr. Stevenson is responsible

for Wards 3, 4, 11, 12, 21, and 22, as

well as for the Pediatrics Service. Withone or more of his staff members he makesregularly scheduled rounds on each of the

wards, and every Tuesday morning meets

with his entire staff of 14 doctors.

On Wednesday afternoons he sits as a

member of the Tumor Board which con-

siders all cases in this field for diagnosis

and treatment. He conducts GrandRounds, at which a few cases are con-

sidered in great detail by the entire staff,

every Thursday morning, and always at-

tends a clinical session every Saturday

morning. At this session doctors in the

medical service discuss cases of special

interest. Working with Dr. Stevenson

are several men who have already madenames in their particular fields, and a

number of younger residents or interns

who have shown great promise.

Dr. Merrill C. Davenport is Assistant

Chief of the Department and Chief of the

section for white patients. Dr. Richard

T. James heads the section where the

cases of the colored patients are handled.

Dr. John R. Mitchell is Chief of the Pedi-

atrics Section, and Dr. Louis S. Leland

heads the Dermatology Section.

Four Residents, doctors who have com-pleted their internships and are serving

one to three years in a specialized field,

are assigned to the Medical Service. Theyare Dr. James B. Hampton, Senior Resi-

dent; Dr. Juan B. Martin, Resident, andDrs. M. C. Florine and Rodolfo V. Young,Assistant Residents. Six of the hospital's

17 interns work in the Medical Service as

part of their rotating internships.

Dr. Stevenson, who was born in Duluth,

Minn., came to the Canal Zone in 1927

immediately after his graduation from the

Medical School of the University of Min-nesota. Except for periods of post-grad-

uate training in Baltimore, Philadelphia,

and Ann Harbor, his service here has

been continuous.

He served his internship at Gorgas Hos-

pital and a residency at Panama Hospital,

under a number of men who themselves

had been trained at Gorgas. After duty

at several of the Canal Zone dispensaries,

he joined the full-time staff of Gorgas

Hospital in 1940. He was made Assistant

Chief of the Medical Service five years

later, and its Chief in 1948.

In 1947 he was certified as a specialist

by the American Board of Internal Med-icine. He is also a member of the Amer-ican Medical Association, a fellow of the

Dr. G. M. STEVENSON

American College of Physicians (with ex-

tra duty as Governor of the College for

the Canal Zone and Panama since 1942),

a member of the Association of Military

Surgeons, and a member of the AcademiaPanamena de Medicina y Cirugia.

Dr. and Mrs. Stevenson, the former

Nedelca Jude, who married in 1929, have

an 18-year-old son, William George, who is

a student at the Canal Zone Junior College.

Dr. Stevenson has always been proud

of Gorgas Hospital and the place it has

occupied in Canal Zone life. It has been

not only a facility where thousands of

patients have received excellent care, he

points out, but also a place where impor-

tant research has been done, as well as a

fine training place for young doctors.

YOUNG ZONIAN GETS HAM LICENSE

{Continued from page 4) the first husband

and wife radio team on the Canal Zone.

There are now others: Mr. and Mrs.

Nelson Magner, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ler-

chen, Mr. and Mrs. George Dunlap, and

Col. and Mrs. Wayne Brewer.

To obtain her license Carol, who is a

freshman at Balboa High School, first had

to learn the International Morse Codeuntil she could copy and send at the

speed of approximately 15 words per

minute. She had to learn theory and dia-

grams in order to pass a written examina-

tion which covered radio theory in most

of its forms, including considerable math-

ematical problems concerning Ohm's Law—that the strength of an unvarying elec-

trical current is directly proportional to

the electromotive force and inversely pro-

portional to the resistence of the circuit.

She was also examined on Canal Zone

radio regulations.

Under the instruction of her father and

mother Carol studied all summer in the

radio "shack" under her family's quarters.

She took her examination early in Sep-

tember in the Army Signal Department's

office at Corozal and on October 12 was

awarded her license.

She had been waiting for word that she

had passed her examination and did not

know that her father had been informed

of her success and had picked up her

operating permit earlier that day. Byfour o'clock that afternoon she was almost

certain that she had failed and, woman-like, broke into tears when her mother

arrived from work at the Army's Civilian

Personnel Office and her parents together

presented her with her license.

Four days after her license was issued

Carol had talked to stations in the Canal

Zone, 18 of the United States, Panama,Japan, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina.

Her first contact was with E. C. Bar-

tholomew, who is Vice President of the

Austin National Bank in Austin, Texas,

and who operates station W5GQ. Through-

out the summer he had been urging Carol

to get her license and was so sure that

she would qualify that he had 1,000 cards

printed with her call letters, KZ5GQ, andmade a trip to the Canal Zone to deliver

her cards to her about a week before she

took her examination.

For the time being, Carol is operating

her family's station, a Globe Championtransmitter, running 200 watts on all

bands, and a Collins receiver.

Her father is building a transmitter for

code which he will install in her bedroombut she will be permitted to operate the

larger voice station whenever she likes.

OUR OUT-OF-DOORS

(.Editor's Note: the material for this

column has been prepared by Walter R.Lindsay, Chief of the Grounds MaintenanceDivision who is also in charge of the CanalZone Experimental Gardens.)

Many chemicals have been used to con-

trol ants, but one of the most effective

and economical used to date is Chlordane.

Unlike the chemical, carbon disulphide,

which has been effectively used in the past

to control leaf-cutting ants (atta sp.),

Chlordane is non-explosive and is safe for

use by even the most inexperienced

gardener.

Chlordane may be absorbed by insects

through their mouths, feet, and bodies.

Consequently the most economical use of

Chlordane for destroying leaf-cutting ants

has been found to spray the openings of

the nests with a small amount of the two-

percent solution.

Ants crawling over the sprayed areas

absorb toxic quantities through their feet.

They may also clean their feet and anten-

nae by running these structures through

their mouths and thus ingest a fatal

doseage.

The prolonged residual effect of Chlor-

dane makes it lethal to ants and manyother insects for days and sometimes

weeks. Thus, one application remains

lethal to successive hatchings of eggs.

An interesting sidelight of the home life

of the leaf-cutting ant is the fact that

they themselves do not eat the portions

of leaves, twigs, etc. that they so labori-

ously cut and carry into their well-venti-

lated underground caverns.

The leaves, twigs, and foliage are used

to culture a type of mushroom. The ants

in turn eat the mushrooms.


PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS

From September 15 through October 15

The following list contain- the names oi

those employees who were translerred from

01 i\ ision fo another or from one type ol

work toanother. It does not contain within-

ns or regradings.

CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Mrs. Barbara K. Barlow, from Clerk-

Stenographer, Administrative Branch, to

Clerk-Stenographer, Police Division.

Mrs. Dorothy B. Longeway, from Kin

dergarten Assistant to Elementary School

Teacher, Division of Schools.

Raymond A. Taylor, from Postal Clerk-

to Postmaster (Gamboa), Postal, Customs,and Immigration Division.

Oliver L. Riesch, front Postmaster

(Gamboa) to Postal Clerk, Postal, Customs,and Immigration Division.

James A. Fiaser, Jr., from Apprentice

Electrician, Terminals Division, to Police-

man, Police Division.

Mrs. Grace M. Lindberg, from Clerk-

Stenographer, Audit Division, to Clerk-

Stenographer, Police Division.

Mrs. Mary E. Soper, Mrs. Nancy N.Cottrell, from Substitute Teacher to HighSchool Teacher, Division of Schools.

Ray B. Wells, from Payroll Clerk, Fi-

nance Bureau, to Clerk (Typist), Police

Division.

Donald R. Jones, from Postmaster (Cu-

rundu) to Postal Clerk, Postal, Customs,and Immigration Division.

Richard J. Salvato, Robert P. O'Con-nor, from Customs Guard to CustomsInspector, Postal, Customs, and Immigra-tion Division.

Robert H. Beecher, from Occupational

High School Teacher to Junior College In-

structor, Division of Schools.

COMMUNITY SERVICE BUREAU

Francis E. Reardon, from Clerk-Typist

to Clerk, Housing Division.

Mrs. Rebecca L. Hatten, from Tele-

phone Operator (Typist) to Clerk-Typist,

Housing Division.

P. Byrne Hutchings, from Assistant

Manager, Balboa Housing Office, to Mana-ger, Gamboa Housing Office, Housing Di-

vision.

Harry C. Egolf, from Manager, GamboaHousing Office to Assistant Manager, Bal-

boa Housing Office, Housing Division.

ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTIONBUREAU

Robert C. Smith, from Pumpman to Fil-

tration Planf Operator, Water and Labora-tories Branch, Municipal Division.

Jose R. Cotter, David Ramos, fromCartographic Survey Aid to Surveying andCartographic Engineer, Surveys Branch,Engineering Division.

Paul W. Mohl, Murrel L. Drdd, Earl

E. Mullins, and Proctor G. Duelle, fromOperator, Construction Equipment, to Gen-eral Operator, Municipal Division.

George W. Mullins, Jr., from Operator,Construction Equipment, and Pumpman to

General Operator and Pumpman, MunicipalDivision.

Victor D. Young, from Powerhouse Op-erator-Dispatcher to Electrician Operator-Foreman, Electrical Division.

James E. Walker, from Distribution

Foreman to Lineman Foreman, Electrical

Division.

Harry D. Foster, from Pumpman to Fil-

tration Plant Operator, Water and Labora-tories, Municipal Division.

Herbert E. Rothwell. from Painter-Body Repairman, Motor TransportationDivision, to Pumpman, Water and Laboratories Branch, Municipal Division.

Thomas J. Dee, from Wireman to Dis-i ill anion Foreman, Electrical Division.

FINANCE BUREAU

Ira N. C. Read, from Investigator toGovernmental Accountant, Accounting Di-vision.

Mrs. Mabelle B. Walker, from Clerk-Stenographer, Accounting Division toClerk-Typist, Payrolls Division.

Kathleen M. McGuigan, from Secre-tary to Administrative Assistant, Office ofFinance Director.

HEALTH BUREAUHarry A. Dunn, from Medical Techni-

cian (General) to Medical Technician (Gen-eral-Supervisory), Board of Health Labor-atory.

Kurt F. Menzel, from Medical Techni-cian (Bacteriology) to Medical Technician(Bacteriology-Supervisory) Board of HealthLaboratory.

INDUSTRIAL BUREAURichard H. Jenks, from Wireman to

Wireman Leader, Industrial Bureau.Sydney S. Albritton, from Locomotive

Machinist, Railroad Division, to Machinist,

Industrial Bureau.Gust E. Rosene, from Lock Operator,

Atlantic Locks, to Machinist, Industrial

Bureau.

MARINE BUREAURaymond J. Kielhofer, from Lock Op-

erator to Tunnel Operator, Pacific Locks.Preston M. Trim, Charles J Sorell,

from Lock Operator to Tunnel Operator-Wirernan, Pacific Locks.Roy H. Rice, Irving H. Anderson, Wil-

liam J. Cronin, from Pilot-in-Tarining to

Probationary Pilot, Navigation Division.

Mrs. Ruth H. Powell, from Cashier,

Commissary Division, to Clerk- Typist, Aidsto Navigation Section.

William C. Smith, from Junior to Senior

Control House Operator, Atlantic Locks.John J. Tobin, from Senior Lock Opera-

tor, to Junior Control Hotise Operator, At-lantic Locks.John M. Klavosky, from Tunnel Opera-

tor to Senior Lock Operator, Wireman,Atlantic Locks.William J. McLaughlin, Jr., from Lock

Operator to Tunnel Operator, Wireman,Atlantic Locks.Carter M. Houston, from Probationary

Pilot to Pilot, Navigation Division.

Wilbert L. Ney, from General Store-

keeper, Pacific Locks to Clerk, Atlantic

Locks.Lawrence W. Jenkins, from Guard,

Atlantic Locks, to General Storekeeper,

Pacific Locks.James G. Slice, from Chauffei r, Motor

Transportation Division to Guard, LocksDivision.

Ernest M. Kieswetter, from Guard Sup-ervisor to Senior Foreman, Dredging Divi-

sion.PERSONNEL BUREAU

Mrs. Mary B. Friedman, from Secre-

tary, Office of Supply and Service Director,

to Secretary, Office of the Personnel Direc-

tor.

Russell S. Johns, from Junior College

Instructor, Division of Schools, to Position

Classifier, Personnel Bureau.

RAILROAD AND TERMINALS BUREAUWilliam D. Goodwin, from Yard and

Road Conductor to Senior Yardmaster,Railroad I livision.

Henry H. Lee, Jr., from TransportationRale Audit Clerk, Division of Storehouse-,

to Cribtender and Ganger Foreman, Termi-nals Division.

Clavin R. Groves, from CommissaryAssistant, Commissary Division, to Traffic

Clerk, 'Terminals Division.

Joseph F. Smith, front Traffic Clerk to

Storekeeper, Terminals Division.

Victor H. May, Jr., from Gauger, Divi-

sion of Storehouses, to Cribtender andGauger Foreman, Terminals Division.

Robert C. Turner, from Property andSupply Clerk, Housing Division, to Time,

Leave, and Payroll Clerk, Terminals Divi-

sion. (See page 20)

THIS MONTH'S

CALENDAR

November Sailings

Sailing dates are indefinite

because of the United States

longshoremen's strike.

NOVEMBER2d- American Legion, Post No. 6,

Gamboa Legion Hall, 7:30 p. m.,Panama's Memorial Day

3d Panama's Independence Day.4th Masters, Mates, and Pilots, No.

27, Gamboa Clubhouse, 9 a. m.5th Postal Employees, No. 23160, Bal-

boa Lodge Hall, 8 p. m.American Legion, Post No. 3,

Gatun Legion Hall, 7:30 p. m.Pedro Miguel Civic Council,Union Church, 7 p. m.Cristobal-Margarita Civic Coun-cil, Margarita Clubhouse, 7:30 p. m.V. F. W., Post Xo. 727, Fort Clay-ton, 7:30 p. m.V. F. W., Post No. 3822, CurundttRoad, 7:30 p. m.

6th Gamboa Civic Council, Commun-ity Center, 7:30 p. m.Gatun Civic Council, Gatun Club-house, 7:30 p. m.

7th V. F. W., Post No. 40, Balboa K. of

C. Hall, 7:30 p. m.11th Armistice Day.12th Legal Holiday in the Canal Zone

(for Armistice Day).13th Electrical Workers, No. 397, Bal-

boa Lodge Hall. 7:30 p. 111.

American Legion Auxiliary, No.1, Balboa Leeion Home, 7:30 p. m.V. F. W., Post No. 100, Old BoyScout Building, Cristobal, 7:30 p. m.American Legion, Post No. 7, FortClayton, 7:30 p. m.Painters, No. 1232, House 0838,

Balboa, 7 p. m.14th Pacific Civic Council, I. W". B.,

7:30 p. 111.

American Legion, Post No. 2, Le-gion Home, Old Cristobal, 7:30 p. m.

15th American Legion Auxiliary, No.6, Gamboa Legion Hall, 7:30 p. m.

18th C. L. U.-M. T. C, Balboa LodgeHall, 8:30 a. m.

19th Electrical Workers, No. 677, GatunMasonic Temple, 7:30 p. m.

20th Operating Engineers, No. 595,

Margarita K. of C. Hall. 7 p. m.21st American Legion Auxiliary, No.

3, American Legion Hall, Gatun,7:30 p. 111.

A. F. G. E., No. 14, Balboa Club-house, 7:30 p. m.V. F. W., Post No. 40, Balboa K. of

C. Hall, 7:30 p. m.22d Thanksgiving Day.26th V. F. W. Auxiliary, Post No. 3822

Post Home, 7:30 p. m.27th V. F. W. Post No. 100, Old Boy

Scout Building, Cristobal, 7:30 p. m.American Legion, Post No. 7, FortClayton, 7:30 p. m.Operating Engineers, No. 595,

Balboa Lodge Hall, 7 p. m.28th—American Legion Auxiliary, No.

2, Legion Home, Old Cristobal, 7:30

p. m.A. F. G. E., No. 88, Margarita Club-house, 7:30 p. m.

29th Governor-Employee Conference,Board Room, Administration Build-

ing, 2 p. 111.

DECEMBER2d Masters, Mates, and Pilots, No.

27, Margarita Clubhouse, 9 a. m.3d V. F. W., Post No. 3822, Curundu

Road, 7:30 p. 111.

V. F. W., Post No. 727, Fcrt Clay-ion. 7:30 p. 111.

Pedro Miguel Civic Council,Union Church, 7 p. m.Cristobal-Margarita Civic Coun-cil, Margarita Clubhouse, 7:30 p. m.Postal Employees, Xo. 23160, Mar-garita Is. of C. Hall, 8 p. 111.

American Legion Post No. 3,

Gatun Legion Hall, 7:30 p. m.4th Gamboa Civic Council, Commun-

ity Center, 7:30 p. in.

Gatun Civic Council, Gatun Club-house, 7:30 p. m.V. F. W., Post No. 40, Balboa K. of

C. Hall, 7:30 p. 111.

6th Carpenters, No. 667, MargaritaClubhouse, 7:30 p. m.


STATISTICS ON CANAL TRAFFICFor the purpose of comparison between pre-war and post-war traffic through the Panama Canal, statistics for

the fiscal year 1938 are used in this section, as being more nearly normal for peace-time than those for 1939.

COMMERCIAL TRANSITS UP FOR FIRST QUARTER

BUT TOLLS ARE LOWER THAN IN PREVIOUS YEAR

Intercoastal Trade

Down; U. S. Ships Hold

Lead By Nationality

Transits of commercial vessels through

the Panama Canal during the first quarter

of the present fiscal year were up by morethan 100, including both small vessels andships of 300 or more tons, Panama Canalmeasurement.

During the quarter just concluded, the

total number of transits was 1,770, as com-pared to 1,675 for the corresponding quarter

of fiscal year 1951.

Of the 1,770 commercial transits, 871

were from Atlantic to Pacific, and 899 fromPacific to Atlantic. During the same period

283 government vessels made the Canal

transit.

During this period in the present fiscal

year tolls totaled $6,272,000 as comparedto $6,449,000 in the same quarter of the

previous fiscal year.

The auarter began slowly, with 463 com-mercial transits in July, as against 513 in

July of fiscal year 1951. Tolls for July of

the present fiscal year were $1,981,000 as

compared to $2,373,000 for July in the pre-

\ious fiscal year.

During the early part of July rather heavylosses were indicated in the Europe-U. S.

West Coast Canada and the Europe-WestCoast South America trades. Later in July

a drop was reported for trade between the

East Coast of the United States and Asia.

Traffic Increase Begins

The increase in traffic began to be noted

early in August (August's total transits

were 490, an increase of 37 vessels over

August of the previous year) when traffic

began an upswing between the East Coastof the United States and Asia and betweenEurope and the West Coast of the UnitedStates and Canada. Later in August, traf-

fic began to increase temporarily betweenEurope and Australasia, but this trend wasshort-lived and had begun to decrease, again

temporarily, toward the end of the month.Transits for September were up consid-

erably over September a year ago, 516 ves-

sels transiting this year as against 446 for

September a year ago. Tolls had increased

correspondingly, from $1,983,000 in fiscal

year 1951 to $2,188,000 in September of this

year.

There was a drop in trade between the

East Coast of the United States and Central

America and another increase in shipping

between Etrope and Australasia.

Later in the month there was some fluctu-

ation in all trade routes, with that betweenthe United States East Coast showing again and the Europe-South America andAustralasia trade down somewhat. This waschanged toward the end of September, how-ever, when a marked increase was noted in

trade between the United States East Coastand South America, and also betweenEurope and South America.

During the first auarter intercoastal ship-

ping was less than half of that of the sameperiod in fiscal year 1951 — 130 vessels

making this run as compared to 287 in the

first quarter a year ago.

Vessels of United States registry took the

lead in number by nationality with 534

U. S.-flag vessels transiting the Canal in

this period. Great Britain, with 286 vessels,

was second, followed by Norway with 175.

- •-.,. r • .

FOUR CATCHERS from the most recent whaling fleet to transit the Canal were photographed as they

locked down together through Pedro Miguel on their wav to the Antarctic. The fourteen catchers of this

fleet and their 22,000-ton mothership, Thonhovdi, transited October 17. All of them are of Norwegian regis-

try with Sanefjord as their home port. This fleet carried a total of about 550 men; the crew of the factory,

or mothership, was 285 and each catcher had a crew of about 20.

In the past five months, three large whaling fleets have gone through the Canal southward. All three

were out of Europe to the Antarctic. The first was an Anglo-Norse group, on its first visit to the Canal in

two years. This included a large factory ship and nine catchers. They went south in June. This fleet has

already shipped one load of oil back through the Canal.

The second fleet, out of Kiel, Germany, but with its vessels registered under the Panama or Honduran

flags arrived late in September. This group was headed by the factory ship, Olympic Challenger, and con-

sisted of 13 catchers, all of which are former Canadian corvettes. Joining the fleet in Panama were a number

of highly skilled Norwegian harpoon "gunners," who take over command of the catchers when they reach

the whaling grounds These men are highly skilled. One of them on the Olympic's group last trip south, was

credited with killing over 280 whales. Like the other two whaling fleets, the Olympic vessels carried between

500 and fiOO men. One more of the catchers, bringing the total to 14, was a latecomer, following well behind

the others. This last catcher did not reach the Canal on its way south until late last month.

C. Fernie & Co. are agents for all three of the whaling fleets.

MONTHLY COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC AND TOLLS

Vessels of 300 tons net or over

By fiscal years

TransitsTolls

(In thousands of dolhr*)

1952 1951 1938 1952 1951 1938

July . 463 513 457 $1,981 $2,373 $2,030

490 453 505 2,103 2,093 2,195

516 446 444 2,188 1,983 1,936

480 461 2,068 1,981

446 435 1,844 1,893

452 439 1,886 1,845

452 444 1,854 1,838

444 436 1,853 1,787

March _. 474 506 1,943 2,016

April -- ---- 470 487 2,007 1,961

May - 485 465 2,020 1,887

478 445 1,982 1,801

Totals for first three months1,469 1,412 1,406 6,272 6,448 6,161

Totals for fiscal year 1,469 5,593 5,524 $6,272 $23,906 $23,170


Winning Essays Bring Awards To Zone StudentsPrizes were awarded recently by Dr.

Lawrence Johnson, Superintendent of the

Canal Zone schools, to four students of

the Canal Zone colored schools for their

prize-winning essays, submitted in con-

nection with the August issue of the WestIndian Commemorative stamp. Thestudents were divided into four groups:

A, which included the fifth and sixth

grades; B, grades 7 and 8; C, grades 9

and 10; and D, grades 11 and 12.

Judges for the contest were: A. B.

Williams, of the Silver EmployeesDeath Benefit Association; the Rev. L.

B. Shirley, of St. Peter's Episcopal

Church in La Boca; Luis Noli, of the

Star and Herald; Nathan Reid, Supervisor

at the Rodman Naval Establishment,

and A. E. Osborne of the Schools Divi-

sion, Chairman of the Essay Contest

Committee.

The winners and their prizes were:

Maria Ramirez, of Santa Cruz, for Divi-

sion A, $10; Francisco Rodriguez, of RedTank Junior High School, for Division B,

$15; Marion Thomas, of the Silver City

Occupational High School, for Division C,

$20, and Roy Bryce, of the La Boca Occu-pational High School, for Division D, a

gold pen and pencil set. The prizes weregiven by the West Indian Stamp Appre-ciation Committee. The winning essays

follow:

Why We have A SpecialWest Indian Stamp

We have a special West Indian Stamp in

honor of those West Indians who gave their

lives in the construction of the PanamaCanal.A great many of these workers died of

malaria, yellow fever, and pneumonia.Others, who were very ill, still reported for

work so that this important project couldbe completed.

For their faithfulness, loyalty, ai'd will-

ingness to work in all kinds o f dangers, for

the sacrifices they made, and for the courageshown by them in the presence of great dan-gers from dynamite explosion, land slides,

and diseases, the Government of the UniiedStatesissuedthisSpecialWest Indian Stampto honor these men and to show the worldthat it will always appreciate the work theydid and the sacrifices they made.

Division AMaria RamirezGrade 6

Santa Cruz Elementary School

The Meaning of a Special Stamp inHonor of Our West Indian WorkersThe stamp made for the West Indian

workers was issuer! in order to honor themfor the work they did on the Panama Canal.To complete this arduous task, they facedmany hazards and hindrances. Many werethe instances when they met dangers in

which many were killed by dynamite blastsand landslides. One of the most dangerousplaces in which they labored is now knownas Gaillard Cut. But even when these mensaw their companions killed in such terrible

ways, they did not lose heart; instead, theykept on working until they were through.These men who were employed to do thishard task were the only ones who couldwithstand the unhealthful climate and thedisastrous diseases of the Isthmus.

Today, some of these veterans have livedto see themselves and their dead companionsbeing honored for the excellent job that wasdone by their hands. The stamp which is asymbol of true hardiness and sacrifices onthe part of our ancestors will tell in a smallmeasure the story of a great people—theWest Indians.

Division BFrancisco RodriguezGrade 8

Red Tank Junior High School

The Significance of the West IndianCommemorative Stamp

It was on August 15, 1951, that the WestIndians who played an important and a

major role in the successful completion of

the Panama Canal were honored by theissuing of the West Indian CommemorativeStamp.

This Commemorative Stamp is an impor-tant event in the history of the Canal Zone.The Stamp has been issued in recognition of

meritorious service rendered by the WestIndian laborers during the ten years of thedifficult task of building the Panama Canal.

It is a tribute which brings us immeasur-able value in prestige and at the same timemay mark the beginning of more concreteand material tributes in appreciation for

faithful service rendered by the West Indianworkers.We can hope that the offspring of these

West Indian pioneers who made sacrifices

in the construction of the Panama Canalwill benefit more from the profits brought to

the United States through the PanamaCanal.

Division CMarion ThomasGrade 10

Silver Citv OccupationalHigh School

The Significance of the West IndianCommemorative Stamp

What's in a stamp? The story it relates,

the purpose of its creation, the people withwhom it communicates, the profit from its

use—these are the qualifications which de-termine the value and significance of astamp.The picture painted on the West Indian

Commemorative Stamp tells the story of

the heroic and sacrificial deeds, and the con-tributions of the West Indian Negro in theaccomplishment of a world-famed engineer-ing feat— the Panama Canal. After yearsof constant struggle for decent survival, theforgotten West Indian and his offspring

again have seen omens of encouragement.On this occasion it is the tribute payingWest Indian Commemorative Stamp, asymbolic example of recognition, apprecia-tion, and gratitude. Through this stampthe world can be educated on the importantrole played by the "Old-Timers." Nogreater profit could there be than the dy-namic response of the democratic people to

the West Indian Commemorative Stamp for

what it stands—the birth of a demandingand deserving campaign for justice andequality.

Division DRov BryceGrade 12

La Boca OccupationalHigh School

PAY RAISES, INCOME TAX

(Continued from page 3) table which takes

an average of old and new rates into con-

sideration. If this is true this year, the

date of payment of the retroactive payincrease will have no material effect on

the overall tax to be paid during the year.

Considerable and lengthy discussion

followed introduction of a question as to

the locations where an employee may re-

side. For the record, the following housing

regulations were added to the minutes of

the meeting:

"Employees are required to reside in

the 'district' in which they are employed

and, in general, the towns in which they

work. Residence outside of the town in

which the employee works may be

authorized:

"(a) When the employee presents a

meritorious case concurred in by his di-

vision chief and approved by the Com-munity Services Director;

"(b) When an employee's work location

is changed within either the Northern or

Southern district and his division chief

does not certify that a change of residence

is necessary. Under the latter circum-

stances the employee will be permitted to

remain in the quarters to which he has

been assigned but will not be allowed

transfer privileges except to his new town

of employment."

New Housing Rules

Conferees were also told of another newhousing regulation: That those movinginto newly constructed houses will have

to occupy those houses for a two-year

period before becoming eligible for assign-

ment to another newly-constructed house.

J. H. Jones presented a letter to the

conference, opposing the closing of the

dispensary at Pedro Miguel, and R. F.

Ralph of Gatun suggested that a taxi

stand be permitted inside the hospital

grounds at Gorgas when the district medi-

cal clinics are moved there, to partly offset

the main community objection to the

transfer—lack of transportation facilities.

License Plates Fade

A question was raised by J. J. Tobin as

to an Atlantic Side police order that

drivers of Canal Zone-registered cars re-

paint license plates which have faded

badly this year. This question was to be

given post-conference consideration and,

meanwhile, the conference was told that

steps are being taken to prevent a similar

fading of plates for the coming year.

In answer to a question as to whether

the local postal service was to be taken

over by the United States Posts, the

Governor said that this plan is not re-

ceiving any active consideration although

such a recommendation is to be made in

the General Accounting office report on

the audit of Company activities.

Attending the October conference were:

the Governor and Lieutenant Governor,

Mr. Dunsmoor, E. A. Doolan, Personnel

Director; Mr. Wagner, C. W. Hoffmeyer,

Mr. Tobin, W. R. Howe, E. W. Hatchett

for the Central Labor Union-Metal Trades

Council; Mr. Lovelady for the A. F. G. E.;

R.C. Daniel, Railway Conductors; Guy R.

Lord, Marine Engineers; M. S. Goodin,

C. A. Garcia, J. H. Jones, Timothy Laddand R. F. Ralph for the Civic Councils;

James Boukalis for the Machinists, and

C. A. Luhr for the Pacific Side LockOperators.

A PRESIDENT VISITS

^Continued from page 3) three days varied

from a drizzle to a torrential downpour.He rode the Panama Railroad from endto end; took a tug into Panama Bay. Heate luncheon, without prior notice, at one

of the Commission's messes, inspected

hospitals, police, and schools. He spent

all of his second day ashore and part of the

third day in or around the Cut, droppedin on family and bachelor quarters,

roamed through construction towns, vis-

ited the machine shops, talked to twodeputations of employees about rates of

pay and other matters.

He was entertained officially in Panamaand was given a huge farewell party onthe Cristobal docks by employees of the

Commission.

Back in Washington, where he reported

to Congress December 17 in a special

message, President Roosevelt had ananswer for critics of the Canal project:

"It is not too much to say that the

whole atmosphere of the Commissionbreathes honesty as it breathes efficiency

and energy."


Oil, Phosphate and Coal Shipments

Increase In Atlantic-Pacific Trade

An increase in the amounts of oil, phos-

phates, coal and coke shipped from the

Atlantic to the Pacific was noted during the

first Quarter of the fiscal year, according to

reports of the Management Division.

The oil shipments, which were reported

as 754,261 long tons for the July-August-

September quarter of the current fiscal

year, had almost doubled from the 368,019

long tons shipped in the Atlantic-Pacific

trade during the same quarter of the pre-

vious fiscal year.

On the other hand, oil shipments in the

opposite direction, from Pacific to Atlantic,

had decreased considerably. During the

first quarter of fiscal year 195?, only 121,470

long tons of mineral oils passed through the

Canal from Pacific to Atlantic, as comparedwith 1,207,428 tons during the same period

in the fiscal year 1951. This latter figure,

however, was artificial, in that during the

corresponding three months of fiscal year

1951 there was a short but intensive ship-

ment of oil between the east and west coasts

of the United States.

Much of the heavy Atlantic-Pacific oil

shipments of the current fiscal year are

originating in the West Indies, with both

South America and Australasia as their des-

tinations. This situation, which developed

dining the latter part of the quarter, wasattributed to the Near East oil situation.

The heavy phosphate shipments, 212,696

long tons for the quarter just ended as com-pared to 67,963 long tons for the correspond-

ing quarter in fiscal year 1951, are destined

primarily for Japan from the United States

east coast.

Also up, in the Atlantic to Pacific trade,

were long tons of manufactured iron and

steel, paper and paper products, sulphur,

cement, sugar (of which 108,161 long tons

were shipped during the first quarter of fis-

cal year 1952 as against only 23,547 long

tons for the corresponding quarter last year),

machinery, and automobiles.The Atlantic-Pacific trade showed de-

creases in ammonium compounds, raw cot-

ton, tinplate, ores, and canned food prod-

ucts.

In the Pacific-Atlantic trade, ore ship-

ments were up by almost 100,000 long tons

for the first quarter of fiscal year 1952, as

compared to the fiist ouarter of last year.

Wheat shipments were 542,707 long tons,

as compared to only 297,372 long tons for

the corresponding period last year.

Other cargo showing increases in this

trade were sugar, refrigerated food products,

lumber, bananas, and other fresh fruit.

Cargo items showing decreases in this quar-

I

EDWARD M. ALTMAN, who has served as relief

magistrate on several occasions, has been appointed

to a four-year term as Magistrate of the Balboa

Court. He succeeds Ralph J. Chittick, who has left

to make his home in Connecticut.

ter as compared to the corresponding three

months last year were: nitrates, canned food

products, metals, coffee, wool, raw cotton,

and dried fruit.

Total cargo handled and transferred overthe Canal Zone piers during the first auarterof the current fiscal year was 349,194 short

tons, as compared with 333,066 tons for the

average quarter in fiscal year 1951 and373,453 tons in an average quarter of fiscal

year 1938.

The Panama Canal Review has

made the pages of the Congressional

Record. The Appendix to the Record

carries an extension of remarks madein the House of Representatives Octo-

ber 1 by Congressman Clark W.Thompson of Texas. Representative

Thompson calls the Thatcher Ferry

"one of the most important projects

designed to serve the Canal Zone and

the Republic of Panama." As his con-

clusion, he adds the article carried in

the August 3, 1951, issue of The Re-

view: "Ten Millionth Car Crosses

Canal By Thatcher Ferry."

CANAL TRANSITS COMMERCIAL AND U. S. GOVERNMENT

First Quarter—Fiscal Year

1952 1951 1938

Atlantic

to

Pacific

Pacific

to

AtlanticTotal Total Total

Commercial vessels:

711 758 1,469 1,412 1,406

•Small 160 141 301 263 211

871 X<>>) 1,770 1,675 1,617

**U. S. Government vessels;

93 105 198

*Smdll 36 49 85

1,000 1,053 2,053

* Vessels under 300 net tons or 500 displacement tons.** Vessels on which tolls are credited. Prior to July 1,

ships transited free.

1951, Government-operated

CARGO HANDLED OVER PIERS(In short tons)

First QuarterFiscal Year 1952

Averagequarter,

1951

AverageQuarter,

1938

Cristobal Balboa Total All piers All piers

Local cargo received 79,790 33,429 113,219 96,005 87,968

Local cargo forwarded 18,566^ 20,014 38,580 25,810 9,388

Transfer cargo received 84,660 5,016 89,676 105,137 138,386

Total incoming cargo handled.

.

183,016 58,459 241,475 226,952 235,742

2,859 182 3,041 3,552 1,584

Transfer cargo forwarded . 99,854 4,824 104,678 102,562 136,127

Total cargo handled and285,729 63,465 349,194 333,066 373,453

TRAFFIC MOVEMENT OVER MAIN TRADE ROUTESThe following table shows the number of transits of large, commercial vessels (300 net

tons or over) segregated into eight main trade routes:

First Quarter, Fiscal Year

1952 1951 1938

130 287 349

314 274 97

118 91 19

193 156 217

58 36 49

178 129 194

88 91 137

89 64 44

301 284 300

1,469 1,412 1,406

(-4f-: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

20 3 1262 08542 7549

PILOTING SHIPS THROUGH

HE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW November 2,195

(Continued from page 11) first as a pilot-in-

trainir.g, later as a probationary pilot,

and now as a full pilot,

This is only a fraction of the transits

chalked up by the senior men. The

Canal's two senior pilots, Captain Henry

Falk for Balboa and Captain Charles S.

Townshend for Cristobal, have over 3,000

transits apiece to their credit. Both first

served as towboat masters and both have

been pilots since 1926.

Five Are Pilots' Sons

Captain Falk, like four other pilots, is

the son of a former pilot. The others are

Captains G. F. Kariger, S. W. Peterson,

T. C. Makibbin, and A. G. Terwilliger.

Not all of the Canal's pilots, however,

are full-fledged and able to take any ship

through the Canal. Sixty-three are full

pilots, 1 1 others are in their probationary

period, and 3 others are pilots-in-training.

At the present time the Marine Bureau

has a list of 25 applicants who are fully

qualified to be hired as pilots-in-training.

Unless conditions change, however, Ma-

rine officials think that the present force

will be sufficient for some time to come.

PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS(Continued from page 16)

SUPPLY AND SERVICE BUREAU

Mary N. Orr, from Clerk-Stenographer,

I livision of Storehouses, to Secretary, Office

of the Supply and Service Director.

Michael G. Letchko, from Machinist to

Plain Engineer and Machinist, CommissaryDivision.

Mrs. Gretchen E. Melanson, from

Commissary Assistant to Cash Accounting

Clerk, Commissary Division.

Mrs. Melba M Heintz, from Cashier,

to Commissary Assistant, Commissary Di-

vision.

Mrs Hazel E Currier, from Assistant

Dry Cleaning Foreman to Dry Cleaning

Foreman, Commissary Division.

Mrs. Alice O. Eaton, from Transporta-

tion Rate and Audit Clerk to Supply Clerk,

Division of Storehouses.

Mrs. Alicia M. Castro, from Clerk-

Typist to Transportation Rate Audit Clerk,

Division of Storehouses.

Mrs. Edna E. Grandin, from Clerk-

Typist to Property and Supply Clerk, Divi-

sion of Storehouses.

Margaret L. Csighy, from Clerk-Typist

to Procurement Clerk, Division of Store-

houses.

George L. Cain, from Meat Cutter-in-

Charge to Commissary Assistant, Commis-sary Division.

Elwood G. Bissett, from CommissaryAssistant to Supply Assistant (Drygoods),Commissary Division.

Mrs. Carmela A. Recria, from Clerk to

Accounting Clerk, Commissary Division.

Mrs. Elvera N. Breakneld, from Clerk-

Typist to Accounting Clerk, CommissaryDivision.

Anna V. Fisher, from Clerk to Account-ing Clerk, Commissary Division.

Julius Szivos, from Property and SupplyClerk, Aids to Navigations, to Storekeeper,

I )i\ ision of Storehouses.

William A. Sullivan, from Policeman,Police Division, to Storekeeper, Di\ ision of

Storehouses.

MAGISTRATES COURT

Edward M. Altman, from Public SafetyAssistant, Safety Branch, to Magistrate,

Balboa Magistrate's Court.

ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCH

Mrs. Barbara M. Hutchings, fromClerk-Stenographer, Railroad and Termi-nals Bureau, to Clerk-Stenographer, Ad-ministrative Branch.

Principal commodities shipped through the Canal(All figures in long tons)

Figures in parentheses in 1938 and 1951 columns indicate

relative positions in those years

ATLANTIC TO PACIFIC

Commoditv

Mineral Oils

Coal and CokeManufactures of iron and steel

PhosphatesPaper and Paper ProductsSugarSulphurAutomobilesMachineryCementRaw CottonAmmonium compoundsTinplateCanned food productsOres, variousAll others

Total

First Quarter, Fiscal Years

1952

754,261417,534408,242212,696120,818108,161

97,67989,46178,69870,391

49,841

47,39037,021

30,34323,264

899,163

3,444,963

1951

(1)

(3)

(2)

(4)

(?)

(7)

(9)

368,01915,550

355,33767,96390,18923,54790, 1 3064,310 (10)

43,305 (11)

34,846 (15)

137,827 (6)

112,463 (14)

39,332 (13)

38,766 (17)

27,665 (26)

746,867

2,256,116

1938

225,362 (3)

30,444 (14)

336,634 (1)

6,435 (6)

108,492 (5)

8,250 (31)

53,868 (7)

48,161 (9)

31,778 (10)

29,326 (11)

57,694 (13)

11,976 (22)

28,887 (8)

31,935 (15)

16,431 (18)

829,375

1,855,048

PACIFIC TO ATLANTIC

CommodityFirst Quarter, Fiscal Years

195? 1951 1938

Ores, various ._.. . _ 1,013,723883,244542,707275,531272,828203,582

186,782164,810136,785

121,47049,18545,13739,33631,30821,195

624,942

919,960 (1)

874,990 (2)

297,372 (4)

280,143 (5)

241,749 (7)

^^i,6^^ (6)

126,950 (10)

167,146 (8)

111,806 (9)

1,207,428 (3)

62,896 (12)

46,325 (13)

25,252 (17)33,866 (15)47,694 (19)

626,912

497,627 (3)

706,187 (?)

171,632 (7)

Nitrate 254,890 (5)

344,233 (4)

Canned food products 313,906 (6)

Refrigerated food products (ex-

cept fresh fruit) 89,037 (10)

159,361 (8)

11,441 (20)

780,126 (1)

42,507 (16)

Wool .. 21,890 (21)

Fresh fruit (except bananas) . .

.

81,617 (91

32,920 (20)

73.151 (12)

760,225

Total __ 4,612,565 5,409,122 4,340,750

Canal commercial traffic by nationality of vessels

First Quarter of Fiscal Yea rs

1952 1951 1938

Nationality Num-ber of

transits

Tonsof cargo

Num-ber of

transits

Tonsof cargo

Num-ber of

transits

Tonsof cargo

British- _ 28612

1

22

2

5339

1,967,61850,6688,626

22,08110,002

239,83624,498

21510

1,311,54642,336

2922

2

1,667,79510,09613 113

Colombian 17 19,615

Danish 4639

165,60816,392

55 254.507Ecuadorean

2 4,6951

272

19

101

5,480100,086

1,583

170,236133,431

262

31

90

143,3902,603

192,973134,959

2291

31

9

2

146,785450,641181,941

Honduian_ 2,92611 176

1

19

13

292

24

31285,59671,34578,07617,916

121,681

15 62,077 13

7539,935522,490

Mexican. 2

271

11957

3

7

2

12

43

11,66695,070Netherlands^ . .. 60 217,168

Norwegian . . _

PanamanianPeruvian

17556

1

7

1

8

31

1

5342

676,649307,063

456,738322,775

7,434

25,7642,785

46,464150,822

4,451,6932,538

15554

755.770155,169

Philippine 44,0439,511

43,245189,436

5,771

3,669,4053,334

Portuguese . .

Spanish...Swedish.- _

Swiss

~2

31

4952

5

15,280206,645

United States.- _.

Yenezuelan645

3

2,860,814

1 ,953

23 151

Total 1,469 8,057,528 1,412 7,665,238 1,406 7,642,111

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